RESTORE’S MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS:
1. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the safety assessment of RESTORE nanobiomaterials were established. Safety assessments following these SOPs were performed for the developed nanomaterials and nanoenabled scaffolds (in vitro and in vivo safety assessments). The use of SOPs accepted by regulatory bodies from an early stage of product development will ease the translation from laboratory to clinic and contribute to results directly usable in regulatory documentation at a later stage.
2. Different groups of nanomaterials were produced/selected: a) polymeric nanoparticles that can carry pharmacologically active drugs to fight undesirable threats to regeneration and b) nanomaterials (stimuli-responsive nanomaterials) that are able to activate cartilage cells via remote stimulation. The nanomaterials were characterised following the established SOPs and their bioactivity was assessed in vitro. The best nanomaterial formulations were incorporated in the scaffolds or in the designed bioinks for human cartilage bioprinting.
3. The integration methodologies for the nanocarriers and the stimuli-responsive nanomaterials into either cutting-edge 3D matrices (COPLA® and Col-PLA scaffolds) were successfully achieved. The COPLA® Scaffold, already used in the veterinary market, is a registered trademark of the RESTORE partner Askel Healthcare. The Col-PLA scaffold is partly produced by Askel Healthcare and partly at INEB following the COPLA® Scaffold production protocol provided by Askel Healthcare after a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with INEB.
4. The bioactivity study of the obtained nanoenabled scaffolds was assessed in vitro and the most efficient scaffolds were selected for in vivo efficacy testing in small animal models. The effectiveness of the nanoenabled matrices in preventing microbial infections was performed in the induced tissue infection mice models while the mitigation of inflammation and inhibition of cartilage extracellular matrix degradation was investigated in a rabbit osteochondral lesion model.
5. The prototypes of platforms where the stimuli-responsive nanomaterials can be tested in vitro with cartilage cells were designed, improved, and have advanced to a level for use in in vitro studies.
6. Polymer-based Bioink, previously tested for cell bioprinting, was further improved by biofunctionalization to make it more suitable for the bioprinting of human cartilage cell. In addition, the bioink was nanoenabled with the nanomaterials developed in the project. The printability of the different bioink formulations was assessed.
7. Protocols for 3D bioprinting cartilage microtissues using nanoenabled bioinks combined with human chondrocytes derived from iPSCs were established and validated.
8. The bioprinting platform of the partner BRINTER was improved by upgrading print heads and the software.
9. The patient-specific anatomical models for a condyle lesion database were created and this database is online and available to the public:
https://restore-project.ru.is/index(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie).
The dissemination and communication activities of the project have also been carried out via website, the different platforms (linked: LinkedIn (
https://www.linkedin.com/in/restore-project-1b9701201/(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie) Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100048414296631(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie) and Twitter:
https://twitter.com/RESTOREProject3(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)) several scientific events such as congresses, workshops, displays/fairs, etc
