Project description
Insight into cartilage cell development offers clues for repair
Articular cartilage damage due to trauma is common and can be debilitating. However, repair options are limited as our understanding of articular cartilage development and maintenance is incomplete. Scientists of the EU-funded ReSurface project are working on the molecular mechanisms that control articular cartilage cell development and maintenance. The idea is to identify the transcriptional programmes that govern specific cell identity and activity during development, to inform the ideal cell source for repair in adults. Through a combination of developmental and molecular cell biology with advanced engineering techniques, researchers plan to develop a safe strategy for delivering appropriate cells to the site of articular cartilage defects to promote in situ regeneration.
Objective
Repair of articular cartilage defects remains a significant clinical challenge due to gaps in our knowledge of articular cartilage development and maintenance in adulthood. This creates a lack of consensus on the ideal cell source for cell-based repair strategies and suitable methods of delivery. The overall goal of ReSurface is to develop a cell therapy platform for articular cartilage defect repair. This will be achieved by unravelling the molecular mechanisms controlling articular cartilage cell development and maintenance, generation of a panel of molecular parameters defining populations of cells that are safe and suitable for articular cartilage repair, and development of a minimally invasive method to deliver cells to the defect site. This project is highly multidisciplinary and intersectoral combining fundamental developmental and molecular cell biology with advanced engineering techniques and including significant industry and clinical collaboration throughout. This fellowship will have an outgoing phase at Dr April Craft’s Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), affiliated with Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), and a return phase to Prof Garry Duffy’s Lab at the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) which is part of the Science Foundation Ireland funded Centre for Research in Medical Devices (CÚRAM). Clinical collaborators will include BCH, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, University College Hospital Galway (UCHG) and the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) at NUIG while industry collaborators include Boston Scientific Limited (BSL). Having recently completed my PhD in biomaterials development, this project will diversify my professional competencies through advanced training with intersectoral and international collaborations and provide me with the scientific and transferable skills required for my transition to an independent scientist role.
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Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
H91 Galway
Ireland