AUTOBONE: Production unit for the decentralised engineering of autologous cell-based osteoinductive bone substitutes

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 03.0284-2

Key words (English)

Bioreactor; tissue engineering; osteoinductive bone

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: 505711

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 6. Frame Research Programme - 1.3 Telematic systems

Short description (English)

See abstract

Abstract (English)

Bone is among the most frequently transplanted tissues and autografts account or e majority of bone graft procedures. However, auto grafts always require a secondary surgery adding high costs to health services, increase patient morbidity and are available in very limited quantities. Therefore, there is widespread interest around the world for programmes to rebuild and restore function of degenerative tissue using artificial implant materials.
The enormous need for bone grafts and the recent progresses in biomedical and biomaterial sciences have stimulated the rapid growth and expansion of a new field: bone tissue engineering. However, this approach presents important limits to the transfer from an academic to a routine clinical environment: high cost, difficulties in transferring biological samples between hospitals and centralized 'cell factories'; reproducibility due to lack of standards.
The aim of this project is to combine the developments in the areas of tissue engineering based on materials and 3D scaffolds development with largely laboratory and few commercial activities in the field of bioreactors and transpose the concepts of tissue engineering and regeneration to the frontiers of new developments: the automated production of autologous bone replacement materials.
The goal of this project is to develop a bioreactor that would be set-up within the confines of a hospital and which would be used to homogenously activate specially designed porous matrices with stem cells from harvested bone marrow aspirates of the patient to produce autologous hybrid bone graft materials.
The result would be an innovative technology to produce bone substitute materials having
biological properties approaching those of autologous bone, the golden standard of the bone substitute, and would be completely biocompatible.
This target will be achieved through the following scientific and technical objectives: I) design and production of innovative bioreactors, 2) design and product.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 03.0284-2