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Design strategies for the interfacial bond between cartilage and bone in osteochondral grafts
Injuries to the soft tissues of weight-bearing joints can lead to post-traumatic osteoarthritis (OA), a debilitating, degenerative joint disease affecting about 57 million people in Western Europe alone (~14%). These injuries ultimately result in functional impairment and loss of independence of many athletes and the elderly, representing an immense burden to patients as well as society. The main repair therapies used in clinics to date include: 1) bone marrow stimulation, 2) osteochondral (OC) plug transplantation from a non-weight-bearing site of the joint, and 3) matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte implantation. Clinical outcomes after these treatments, however, show deterioration of the cartilage 5-10 years post-surgery, ultimately leading to total joint replacement (TJR). It is, therefore, imperative to develop strategies to successfully treat small articular lesions and prevent their progression towards OA.
Tissue engineering has the potential to regenerate joint tissue to its native form and therefore preserve joint function. To this end, the Tissue Engineering and Biofabrication (TEB) laboratory has developed osteochondral grafts to treat articular lesions. These grafts comprise a bone ceramic with interlocking pores onto which a cartilage layer could be cast. Importantly, a novel hydrogel formulation allowed us to regenerate hyaline cartilage matching native tissue-like properties. To further advance this project, novel strategies to improve the stability of the cartilage-bone junction need to be developed. New interlocking designs will be developed with our collaborators from the University of Sydney. Therefore, this project aims to evaluate these designs' impact on cartilage-bone bonding. Establishing an improved cartilage-bone interface will significantly contribute to the success of these osteochondral grafts.
The following tasks will be developed by the student:
– Design different bone architectures (e.g. varying pore size, number, and geometry) to improve the cartilage-bone interlocking
– Preparation of a casting device to cast the cartilage layer on top of the bone layer
– Preparation of osteochondral graft by casting a cartilage layer on top of the bone ceramics
– Culturing osteochondral grafts for tissue maturation
– Testing of bonding strength and tissue maturation (histology and mechanical testing)
The following tasks will be developed by the student: – Design different bone architectures (e.g. varying pore size, number, and geometry) to improve the cartilage-bone interlocking – Preparation of a casting device to cast the cartilage layer on top of the bone layer – Preparation of osteochondral graft by casting a cartilage layer on top of the bone ceramics – Culturing osteochondral grafts for tissue maturation – Testing of bonding strength and tissue maturation (histology and mechanical testing)
This project aims to optimize the interlocking interface between bone and cartilage within engineered osteochondral grafts to enhance stability and promote the effective integration of both tissues.
This project aims to optimize the interlocking interface between bone and cartilage within engineered osteochondral grafts to enhance stability and promote the effective integration of both tissues.
Dr. Anna Puiggali-Jou & Dr. Philipp Fisch
Email: anna.puiggalijou@hest.ethz.ch & philipp.fisch@hest.ethz.ch
Telephone: +41786224381
Dr. Anna Puiggali-Jou & Dr. Philipp Fisch Email: anna.puiggalijou@hest.ethz.ch & philipp.fisch@hest.ethz.ch Telephone: +41786224381