Metabolites as immunomodulatory additives for biomaterials

Description du projet

Des métabolites immunomodulateurs dans les biomatériaux

Les biomatériaux sont des éléments essentiels pour la correction chirurgicale des défauts osseux causés par des maladies et des fractures traumatiques. Les risques associés à ce traitement comprennent l’inflammation et l’infection osseuse, et la réponse immunitaire de l’hôte aux matériaux implantés représente le principal facteur déterminant l’issue à long terme du traitement. Les métabolites bioactifs sont apparus comme l’une des approches les plus innovantes et les plus puissantes pour moduler la réponse immunitaire. L’incorporation de métabolites aux propriétés de régulation immunitaire constitue une option particulièrement intéressante pour les biomatériaux, garantissant un système de distribution spécifique au site et la modulation du microenvironnement. L’objectif du projet Met4Bone, financé par l’UE, consiste à développer de nouveaux biomatériaux avec des métabolites incorporés comme une stratégie efficace pour moduler la réponse immunitaire locale et obtenir des résultats favorables de récupération chirurgicale des os.

Objectif

The biomaterials are crucial for the surgical remediation of bone defects caused by various diseases e.g. osteoporosis and traumatic fractures. However, there are several risks associated with this treatment; first, the surgical procedure itself carries a potential risk of inflammation and bone infection, second, the bone replacement can fail requiring revision surgery. In fact, the host immune response to implanted materials and devices is the main factor that will determine a long-term functional outcome of the biomaterial mediated treatment. Therefore, the bone biomaterial ability to modulate the local immune environment for favorable treatment outcomes has to be considered. The usage of bioactive metabolites has emerged as one of the most novel and potent approach for immune response modulation. The incorporation of metabolites with immune regulatory properties seems an especially attractive option for biomaterials as it would ensure site-specific delivery system and allow modulation of the microenvironment. The goal of this project is to develop novel biomaterials with incorporated metabolites as a potentially effective and safe strategy to modulate local immune response towards favorable outcomes of surgical bone remediation. To achieve it, the recent concept of metabolomics with the state of the art biomaterial design and research will be combined in this project. This proposal includes the transfer of knowledge to the host institution and the training of the researcher in new techniques and skills. The multidisciplinary nature of the project is strong, combining materials science, biochemistry, and molecular biology. Results have the potential to pave the way for novel biomaterials significantly improving clinical outcomes for patients suffering from bone injuries.