Grant: Alliance Grants
Dalhousie University
$59,333.00
Design and performance of an artificial tendon scaffold based on collagen/polymer fibres
FY 2022-23
Summary
Many activities, work or exercise-related, can lead to soft tissue injuries such as sprains, strains and tendonitis. Repetitive strain injuries, alone, affect around 15% of Canadians (4.5 million people). Worldwide there are 30 millions tendon and ligament injuries occurring annually that represent a total Healthcare expenditure of at least $300 billions. In most cases these injuries are treated through rehabilitation therapies and pain management. However, in case of tendon rupture or extensive damage, surgery is the only option and often involves grafting of a tendon piece harvested from another part of the body or an artificial tendon scaffold. The scaffolds are either assembled from pieces of decellularized collagen-based tissue or from synthetic polymers. The first option has the required collagen nano-architecture but the mechanical performance is poor whereas the second option can easily mimic tendon tensile properties but lacks collagen. In this project we want to design and test the performance of an artificial tendon scaffold that matches the native chemical and mechanical properties of a tendon and supports the differentiation of mesenchymal progenitor cells into tendon cells. Our partner is 3DBioFibR Inc, an Halifax-based start-up company that can fabricate meter long, submicron diameter, collagen/polymer fibres that leave behind a continuous collagen fibre after the polymer is washed away in water. We will use this technology to assemble large bundles of submicron collagen fibres that are cross-linked with a natural product, genipin, in order to enhance their mechanical properties. The structure and cross-linking content of the fibres will be assessed by atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The obtained scaffolds will be sterilized and used to culture mouse mesenchymal progenitor cells engineered to fluoresce when they differentiate into tendon cells. The cell populated scaffolds will also be tested structurally and mechanically to see how well they match the properties of native tendons. 3DBioFibR will use the protocols and techniques developed during this project to produce various tendon scaffold prototypes first for the artificial tendon market and then for the development of a stem cell based tendon regeneration therapy.
Program
Alliance Grants
Recipient
Location
Nova Scotia, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
561042-2020
Name nom
Kreplak, Laurent L
Department département
Physics and Atmospheric Science
Organization id
79
Institution établissement
Dalhousie University
Province en
Nova Scotia
Province fr
Nouvelle-Écosse
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2022
Competition year année de concours
2020
Award amount
59333
Program id
ALLRP
Program name en
Alliance Grants
Program name fr
Subventions Alliance
Group en
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS
Group fr
PARTENARIATS DE RECHERCHE
Committee code
96
Committee name en
RPP Internal Decision Cttee
Committee name fr
Cté de décision interne - PPR
Area of application code
1102
Area of application group en
Health, education and social services
Area of application group fr
Santé publique, éducation et services sociaux
Area of application en
Biomedical engineering
Area of application fr
Génie biomédical
Research subject code
1900
Research subject group en
Biomedical engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie biomédical
Research subject en
Biomedical engineering
Research subject fr
Génie biomédical
Installment
inst:2
Partie
1
Nb partie
2
Application title
Design and performance of an artificial tendon scaffold based on collagen/polymer fibres
Application summary
Many activities, work or exercise-related, can lead to soft tissue injuries such as sprains, strains and tendonitis. Repetitive strain injuries, alone, affect around 15% of Canadians (4.5 million people). Worldwide there are 30 millions tendon and ligament injuries occurring annually that represent a total Healthcare expenditure of at least $300 billions. In most cases these injuries are treated through rehabilitation therapies and pain management. However, in case of tendon rupture or extensive damage, surgery is the only option and often involves grafting of a tendon piece harvested from another part of the body or an artificial tendon scaffold. The scaffolds are either assembled from pieces of decellularized collagen-based tissue or from synthetic polymers. The first option has the required collagen nano-architecture but the mechanical performance is poor whereas the second option can easily mimic tendon tensile properties but lacks collagen. In this project we want to design and test the performance of an artificial tendon scaffold that matches the native chemical and mechanical properties of a tendon and supports the differentiation of mesenchymal progenitor cells into tendon cells. Our partner is 3DBioFibR Inc, an Halifax-based start-up company that can fabricate meter long, submicron diameter, collagen/polymer fibres that leave behind a continuous collagen fibre after the polymer is washed away in water. We will use this technology to assemble large bundles of submicron collagen fibres that are cross-linked with a natural product, genipin, in order to enhance their mechanical properties. The structure and cross-linking content of the fibres will be assessed by atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The obtained scaffolds will be sterilized and used to culture mouse mesenchymal progenitor cells engineered to fluoresce when they differentiate into tendon cells. The cell populated scaffolds will also be tested structurally and mechanically to see how well they match the properties of native tendons. 3DBioFibR will use the protocols and techniques developed during this project to produce various tendon scaffold prototypes first for the artificial tendon market and then for the development of a stem cell based tendon regeneration therapy.
