Improvements in regenerative medicine
The EU-funded IDEA project was set up by a multidisciplinary consortium of 11 partners. Overall, the goal of the project is to improve and create new tools for stem cell identification, homing and monitoring. Researchers established techniques to isolate, expand and characterise stem/progenitor cells from various sources. They applied photonic methods for the contact and marker-free identification and selection of cells with healing capacity. Finally, they created first prototypes of a magnetic cell select device for the capture and transport of cells with healing potential through the circulatory system. For future in vivo tests of the healing potential of various stem cells, researchers established an animal model of Alzheimer's disease. They developed magnetic nanoparticles that could serve as a tracers and equipment for imaging to monitor these cells. The IDEA project offers the possibility to develop and establish new therapeutic concepts of regenerative medicine. It has the potential to overcome the limitations of current cure especially in patients with vascular and neuronal diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Keywords
Regenerative medicine, stem cells, homing, monitoring, photonic, marker-free identification, prototype, magnetic cell select, model, Alzheimer’s disease, nanoparticles
