Tendon/ligament injuries are a common clinical problem that can dramatically affect a patient’s quality of life. The native structure of tendons and ligaments makes them have limited ability to self-repair. Current approaches for tendons and ligaments substitutes include autografts, allografts and artificial prostheses although their mechanical limitations and/or the induced adverse immune responses have restricted their use, which have accelerated the development of tissue engineering strategies. However, to the date, no clinical long-standing acceptable tendons and ligaments substitute is available. The project’s overall objective was to explore the combination of 3D bioprinting and mechano-magnetic stimulation as cutting edge technologies to develop an innovative tendons and ligaments replacements that mimic their natural structure and function to induce cell and fibre alignment, which have been shown to induce tenogenic differentiation.
Within this project, we investigated the use of different biomimetic approaches to establish the optimal biophysical and biochemical conditions to guide stem cells differentiation towards tendon-like cells. As well, in a second step, we developed cell-loaded injectable hydrogels (based on collagen and platelet lysate) loaded with magnetic particles that recreate the tendon niche and anisotropic architecture to produce 3D scaffolds for tendon regeneration using injectable and 3D printing techniques. Finally, we evaluated the in vitro differentiation of stem cells derived from adipose tissue within the scaffolds.
In summary, this project has allowed to better recreate the tendon niche and to explore the use of 3D printing and magnetic particles to develop injectable hydrogels for 3D bioprinting, which will eventually help to improve the future strategies for tendon diseases treatment based on tissue engineering approaches. Furthermore, this project has allowed to the MSCA Fellow to acquire a very complete scientific profile with more professional independence and experience.
