Project description
Novel biomimetic scaffold to support nerve regeneration after injury
The introduction of neural scaffolds represents a promising approach to support nerve regeneration in the course of treatment after injury. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ProRegScaffold project aims to develop a novel scaffold that mimics the host tissue microenvironment and guides axonal growth, driving regeneration and integration into the existing tissue. Chitosan/collagen scaffold microchannels will be formed by controlled growth within predefined moulds to recreate the geometries of a native nervous network. Furthermore, light-activated lipid nanoparticles will be used to introduce growth factors for activation of the regenerative mechanisms of neurons. Finally, machine learning will assist in the design phase and in providing scaffold parameters for faster axon regrowth.
Objective
According to Allied Market Research, the market for nerve repair and regeneration is expected to reach €11 billion by 2023, with an annual increase of 13%. Autograft, the gold standard, only achieves a success rate of about 45%, despite intrinsic drawbacks including availability and comorbidities. Neural scaffolds offer the bright prospect of nerve injury treatment by guiding axon sprouting and creating a permissive microenvironment. However, current products including NeuraGen® and Neuromaix® failed to find their way towards widespread clinical practice due to their dimensional instability and the mismatch of regenerated axons, as well as showing no effect on the intrinsic regenerative capability of neurons. To address the current technological gap, this project aims to develop a proregenerative scaffold (ProRegScaffold) that completely mimic the microenvironment of host tissues to guide axonal growth, promote regeneration and stimulate integration into the existing healthy tissue. The ProRegScaffold comprises of chitosan/collagen microchannels resembling the geometries of native nervous network, which will be tailored by precisely controlling the growth of ice crystals within digitally predefined moulds. This is an automated method amenable to low-cost and large-scale production. Near infrared light responsive lipid nanoparticles will be introduced and filled with growth factors to activate the intrinsic regenerative capability of neurons. Moreover, I will complement the finite-element method (FEM) with machine learning algorithms to accelerate the design phase, analyze structural mechanics and provide proper parameters of scaffolds allowing faster axon regrowth. This project represents cutting-edge research to screen structure-activity relationships for effective nerve repair, allowing the establishment of a practical personalized neural scaffold.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology tissue engineering
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology biomaterials
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
171 77 STOCKHOLM
Sweden
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.