Periodic Reporting for period 1 - VascColl (Temporally controlled delivery of vascular therapeutics from a regenerative template for diabetic wound healing)
Período documentado: 2015-05-01 hasta 2017-04-30
During this Marie Curie fellowship, the goal was to design a tissue engineering solution to treat diabetic foot ulcers, which would help guide the body in healing itself. The device used consists of a porous collagen biomaterial for cells to attach to and grow new tissue. In addition, small particles of gel containing proteins that can direct wound healing, can be incorporated into the collagen; when ultrasound is applied, the proteins are released. By releasing the proteins at specific time-points, the goal is to instruct the cells to progress normally through the wound healing stages. The overall objectives were to develop the device and to test the idea that delivering proteins at precise time-points can be used to co-ordinate and improve wound healing.
During the course of the project, additional opportunities arose as a result of the fabrication techniques developed. In addition to the on-demand delivery scaffold described above, a magnetically responsive scaffold (that deforms in response to a magnet) was developed. This can be used to apply forces to cells within these scaffolds, potentially helping control their growth rate and behaviours.
The work completed as a Marie Skłowdowska Curie fellow has, to date, resulted in 4 journal articles, 9 conference talks, 13 poster presentations at conferences and 5 invited talks to date; 2 additional journal articles are currently under peer review.
(Note: Some results and details are omitted due to confidentiality).