Objective
Life-saving blood replacement therapies depend entirely on voluntary donations, but demand surpasses supply. In the EU, 25 million blood donations are collected annually, yet shortages persist with about 20% yearly increase in demand. A promising solution is preservation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in the laboratory to provide a limitless, off-the-shelf source of blood cells. In vivo, these HSC, primarily residing in the bone marrow (BM), continuously regenerate blood. Yet, in vitro attempts to recreate this lead to rapid loss of HSC self-renewal and differentiation capabilities. I hypothesize that this is related to the lack of necessary cues of the BM niche created by its highly vascularized extracellular matrix (ECM) where HSC are maintained during adulthood. In InfiniBlood, I will advance Xolography, a new two-colour volumetric manufacturing technology, into a unique continuous bioprinting process to engineer the first BM-like material bioreactor capable of sustaining HSC self-renewal and differentiation for extended periods (months) in vitro.
To achieve this, I will 1)develop BM mini-tissues (organoids) within novel two-colour photoinitiators and viscoelastic hydrogels with functional proteins, thus recapitulating BM ECM properties allowing for guidance of HSC maintenance; 2) engineer perfusion of BM organoids for nutrient and oxygen supply, ensuring long-term HSC maintenance in culture and mature blood cell collection; 3) advance Xolography to continuous bioprinting on a moving belt (roll-to-roll), thus enabling indefinite extension of build volumes, ultimately producing clinically relevant blood cell amounts; and as proof-of-concept, 4) investigate the ability of bioreactor-cultured HSC, to self-renew and differentiate into erythrocytes and thrombocytes. Overall, this ambitious project will engineer novel material bioreactors via the first continuous bioprinting method to unlock infinite blood cell production in vitro to address patient needs worldwide.
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.
- engineering and technology environmental biotechnology bioremediation bioreactors
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
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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)
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.
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-2025-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.
5612 AE Eindhoven
Netherlands
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.