sPatially and environmentAlly aCtuable nancoMposite hydrogels towArds Nervous system repair

Projektinformationen

PACMAN

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 101067770

DOI

10.3030/101067770

Projekt abgeschlossen

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 8 Juni 2022

Startdatum 1 Juli 2022

Enddatum 30 Juni 2024

Finanziert unter

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Gesamtkosten

Keine Daten

EU-Beitrag

€ 172 750,08

Koordiniert durch

ISTITUTO DI RICERCHE FARMACOLOGICHE MARIO NEGRI
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PACMAN (sPatially and environmentAlly aCtuable nancoMposite hydrogels towArds Nervous system repair)

Berichtszeitraum: 2022-07-01 bis 2024-06-30

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

The overall objective of the project is to develop nanocomposite hydrogels with the potential to improve outcomes in nervous system repair. In order to accomplish this objective, a multidisciplinary project was undertaken in order to fabricate multifunctional, nanocomposite hydrogels. These were created by engineering across length scales- from the nanoscale (mesoporous silica nanoparticles) to the microscale (polyethylene (PEG) microgels) and up to the macroscale (granular hydrogel scaffolds). The ability to engineer scaffolds across length scales increases the potential to create multifunctional scaffolds. Therefore, PACMAN sought to develop nanocomposite hydrogels that have engineered degradation, payload release, mechanical properties, porosity, and cellular infiltration properties. Due to the many applications of hydrogels in tissue engineering, the results of PACMAN have the potential to be exploited across many areas of tissue engineering beyond just nervous system repair.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

The main achievement of PACMAN was the development, characterization, and reproducible fabrication of multiscale hydrogels composed of di-sulfide mesoporous silica nanoparticles crosslinked PEG microgels into granular hydrogels. These nanocomposite hydrogels degrade in the presence of glutathione, release small molecule payloads, have mechanical properties that can be tuned, display intrinsic porosity, and promote cellular infiltration into the hydrogels. In addition to this main achievement, several other nanoparticle and hydrogel systems were developed. These include DNA aptamer conjugated nanoparticles, where the aptamers were shown to retain their function, release of payloads from bulk PEG hydrogels, and nanocomposite hydrogels that remove toxins from solution.

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

The results for PACMAN include the synthesis and characterization of di-sulfide mesoporous silica nanoparticles that contain thiols to crosslink PEG microgels, rheological measurements showing the ability to alter mechanical properties of hydrogels, engineering degradation in the presence of glutathione over 72 hours, payload release from nanocomposite hydrogels, and cellular infiltration into the crosslinked granular hydrogels. Additionally, payload release was shown to be controlled when loaded into nanoparticles as opposed to directly into hydrogels, and, using surface chemistry modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles, toxins in solutions could be scavenged in hydrogels.

Fabrication and Imaging of ssMSN crosslinked PEG microgel scaffolds