Project description
Smart implant coatings for bone repair and reduced inflammation
Millions of Europeans receive orthopaedic implants each year. Unfortunately, 20 % of these implants will ultimately fail within the first ten years. This is largely due to uncontrolled inflammation in the first 48 to 72 hours post-surgery, a process current technologies do not adequately support. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the EXOSMART project will develop smart implant coatings that release interleukin-4 to promote bone repair and reduce inflammation. By engineering stem cells to produce IL-4 in response to inflammation, the project will stabilise and embed these exosomes in titanium coatings for controlled release. Through collaboration between Stanford University and Ghent University, it aims to advance biomaterials and tackle key medical challenges in Europe.
Objective
Every year millions of Europeans receive orthopaedic implants such as hip and knee prostheses. While these restore mobility, up to 20% fail within 10 years mainly because of chronic inflammation. Each revision surgery costs an average of €45,000, causing suffering for patients and creating an annual burden of more than €2 billion on EU healthcare. The key reason for implant failure is uncontrolled inflammation in the immediate postoperative period (48–72hours). During this short period immune cells called macrophages must switch from a pro-inflammatory state (M1) to a pro-healing state (M2). Current implant technologies cannot guide this transition with the required timing.
EXOSMART addresses this challenge by creating smart implant coatings that release healing signals precisely when they are needed. The project harnesses exosomes, tiny vesicles naturally secreted by cells that act as biological couriers. These vesicles are loaded with interleukin 4 (IL-4), a protein that calms inflammation and promotes the M2 state for bone repair. Three key innovations make this possible:
-Engineering stem cells to produce IL-4 only under inflammatory conditions and harvesting their exosomes
-Stabilising IL-4 inside exosomes to extend its bioactivity
-Embedding these smart exosomes into layered titanium coatings for spatially and temporally controlled release
The project combines advanced bioengineering at Stanford (USA) with surface engineering expertise at UGent (Belgium). It will generate new knowledge on immune-instructive biomaterials and deliver the first timed, biologically triggered IL-4 delivery system.
For Europe, EXOSMART tackles a major medical and economic challenge. For the host institution, it brings access to complementary approaches and international collaborations. For the researcher, the fellowship provides cutting-edge expertise, fosters independence and builds a transatlantic network, laying the foundation for an independent career in biomedical innovation.
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.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine surgery
- natural sciences biological sciences cell biology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology
- engineering and technology materials engineering coating and films
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology implants
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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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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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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.
9000 Gent
Belgium
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.