Project description
Tissue-engineered skin for the foot sole
Tissue-engineered skin is used to treat chronic wounds that affect nearly four million people in Europe alone. However, there is currently no effective solution for the weight-bearing function of foot skin, and with the increasing incidence of diabetic foot ulcers, there is a pressing need for new reconstructive therapies. The EU-funded SKIN-REGEN-MECH project will investigate in vitro how changes in the mechanical environment of skin explants affect biological responses. Using this information, scientists will generate a computational model of skin mechano-regulation for predicting the optimal mechanical and morphological properties for skin regeneration. The project's results will improve the design of engineered skin and generate new substitutes for reconstructing the skin of the foot sole.
Objective
Large or chronic wounds affect 4 million people in the EU each year. Tissue engineered skin substitutes offer the potential to enhance the repair and regeneration of these wounds. However, there are currently no skin substitutes that can fully restore the weight-bearing function of foot skin. Therapies to reconstruct the foot sole are urgently needed, with an increasing prevalence of diabetic foot ulcers that cost the EU €4 billion annually and have a five-year survival rate as low as 29%. Native skin’s load-bearing structure is dynamic and adaptable to changes in its mechanical environment. By studying the mechanical forces that lead to robust native skin, we can enhance regenerative therapies. The aim of this project is to enhance skin substitute design by optimising its properties using mechanobiological simulation, providing the basis for site-specific skin regeneration that targets weight-bearing function. The specific objectives of this project are:
1. To quantify cell-level mechano-regulation processes in human skin. A dynamic bioreactor will be designed to control the mechnical environment of human skin explants while the cell-level biological responses to load are quantified.
2. To optimise the mechanobiological properties of a skin substitute. A multi-scale computational model of skin mechano-regulation will be developed and used to predict the optimal mechanical and morphological properties for skin regeneration.
3. To demonstrate that this optimisation leads to enhanced dermal substitutes. The optimised skin substitute will be fabricated using bioprinting and micropatterning methods. This substitute will be tested in vitro for its ability to promote robust epidermis formation.
This proposal involves substantial knowledge transfer, with the candidate gaining expertise in biomaterials and regenerative medicine, while providing the host with computational modelling and skin biology expertise. This proposal will enhance and broaden the candidate's career.
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
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology biomaterials
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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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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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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.
D02 YN77 DUBLIN 2
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.