Project description
Innovative bio-ink for 3D printing crucial bone marrow models
Bone marrow diseases impact a substantial portion of the population, making it a complex field for both the development of new medicines and research. The EIC-funded SILKink project will address this challenge by creating an innovative bio-ink using silk as a base material. This bio-ink can then be used for 3D printing highly accurate models of bone marrow tissue in various sizes and shapes, or for simulating haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. By doing so, this advancement could greatly enhance medical research and facilitate the creation of tailored drugs and personalised medical treatments for individual patients.
Objective
Aim: The SILKink project aims to develop a breakthrough biocompatible hydrogel, i.e. a bioink, to 3D print bone marrow tissue models that can be used for robust culture of human stem cells. The use of silk as the basis for novel bioinks (SILKink) helps to recreate tailored bone marrow-like microenvironments that will enable new applications in drug development and personalized medicine for bone marrow diseases. Here, we aim to optimize and validate SILKink, further define the business opportunity, and found an investment-ready spin-off company to commercialize SILKink.
Unmet need: Bone marrow stem cells are fragile and require highly specific surroundings to survive and differentiate, therefore the presence of a soft tissue environment mimicking the human bone marrow is critical for reproducible culturing of these cells. There is a large unmet need for reproducible solutions that mimic the soft tissue of the bone marrow to allow advancements in drug development and personalized medicine approaches for bone marrow diseases.
Solution: We will develop SILKink: a revolutionary bioink that is uniquely based on silk to closely mimic the 3D soft tissue environment of the bone marrow. SILKink will provide a matrix that supports all bone marrow cells including hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and allows to 3D print ex vivo bone marrow stem cell models in the shape or volume desired.
Consortium: University of Pavia (UNIPV) and partner CELLINK have developed the SILKink prototype during FET Open project SilkFUSION and co-own the background IP. Partner Catalyze-Group – Venture Building Team (CAT) will bring commercial expertise to develop an optimal market access strategy for SILKink. UNIPV will be responsible for SILKink optimization, manufacturing, and validation. CELLINK will be involved in product optimization and responsible for product development. CAT will assist UNIPV with founding a spin-off company to commercialize SILKink and making it investment-ready.
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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HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
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Topic(s)
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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
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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.
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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) HORIZON-EIC-2022-TRANSITION-01
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27100 Pavia
Italy
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.