Project description
A new treatment for osteoporotic vertebral fracture
Osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) represent a medical challenge, frequently complicating osteoporosis. Current treatments rely on injecting cement into vertebrae to stabilise the spine and alleviate pain, offering palliative relief without addressing the underlying issue. However, no reparative treatment exists to address the structural deterioration of bone in OVFs. Biomaterial-based approaches, though promising, face hurdles, hindering their effectiveness in providing both mechanical support and therapeutic benefits. In this context, the ERC-funded RESTORE project harnesses advanced manufacturing and 3D-printing to engineer a dual-component biomaterial platform. Comprising a biodegradable stent and a thermo-responsive hydrogel, this innovation is tailored to regenerate and repair osteoporotic vertebral bone. Additionally, the hydrogel will deliver antioxidants to combat oxidative stress and promote bone regeneration.
Objective
Osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) are the most common complication of osteoporosis. Current treatment involves conventional procedures that inject cement into the vertebrae to stabilise the spine and relieve pain. No reparative treatment exists. Biomaterial-based treatments have had very limited success due to a number of complex challenges, such as providing dual therapeutic and mechanical functionalities to meet clinical requirements. Building on a wealth of experience in the area of materials processes, we propose the solution. RESTORE will initially overcome the problems with traditional biomaterials approaches by utilising recent advances in the area of advanced manufacturing and 3D-printing to engineer a dual component biomaterial platform, comprising of a 3D-printed biodegradable stent and a thermoresponsive hydrogel, with mechanical properties and bioactive composition tailored to regenerate and repair osteoporotic vertebral bone. Following this, and consolidating the research in the applicant’s lab on biomaterial-mediated delivery of therapeutics to enhance bone formation and inhibit resorption, the hydrogel component will be functionalised for the controlled delivery of antioxidant lanthanides, to combat increased oxidative stress in the osteoporotic bone microenvironment, and modulate impaired bone remodelling to drive bone regeneration and facilitate repair. The RESTORE technology has potential for use in a patient specific personalized medicine format as the 3D-printing process utilised allows for the stents to be tailored to the patient’s individual vertebra. The hydrogel’s therapeutic load can also be adjusted and offers a potential minimally invasive prophylactic treatment for adjacent diseased vertebrae that do not yet require stenting - a first-of-its-kind prevention strategy for OVFs. The proposed RESTORE platform is thus a paradigm shifting disruptive technology that will revolutionise the way damaged osteoporotic vertebrae are treated.
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.
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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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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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
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.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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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) ERC-2023-COG
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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.
2 DUBLIN
Ireland
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.