PECASE: Analysis of Novel Composite Tissue Engineered Systems

Karen Burg研究和开发的工程化组织具有潜在的广泛的医学应用，包括肿块切除重建、肝脏修复、软骨置换等条件。组织工程涉及从患者身上提取少量健康细胞，在实验室环境中将这些细胞培养成大量细胞，将它们与一种可吸收(类似于可生物降解的)材料结合在一起，这种材料已被雕刻成受伤部位的解剖形状，允许细胞发育，将细胞-材料系统植入患者体内，然后允许细胞生长并获得原始的解剖形状。这种物质逐渐分解，被身体吸收，从而被移走。拟议的5年工作重点是为接受过乳房切除或肿块切除的癌症患者提供乳房组织工程的基础科学。这一努力将是开发一个组织工程项目，包括研究和开发新的可注射材料，以及培训研究生和本科生。它还将通过制定K-12教育推广计划来促进公众对生物工程和批判性思维的认识，该计划是由克莱姆森大学生物工程系和教育系共同努力开发的。这项拟议研究的任务是提出并证明组织工程的一种新材料方法是正确的。据推测，通过提供一种两相的、复合的、可注射的材料，可以在临床可行的解决方案中促进细胞生长和组织发育。申请人以前的研究已经证明了这类系统的总体效果，但没有对各组成部分进行仔细的评估。将选择不同比例的精心制作的材料，并将使用一系列全面的机械和化学测试来评估系统进行研究。基础研究概念的成功有赖于一个精心安排的研究计划，以及对相关科学家和未来科学家的教育。从这项工作中获得的科学和技术将转移到其他提出类似要求的临床应用中。

0093805Karen BurgResearch and development of engineered tissue has potential widespread medical application, including lumpectomy reconstruction, liver repair, cartilage replacement, or other conditions. Tissue engineering involves taking a small number of healthy cells from a patient, growing the cells into large numbers in a laboratory environment, combining them with an absorbable (similar to biodegradable) material that has been sculpted into the anatomical shape of the injured part, allowing the cells to develop, implanting the cell-material system into the patient, and then allowing the cells to grow and acquire the original anatomical shape. The material gradually breaks down, is "absorbed" by the body, and is thus removed.The proposed 5-year work is a focus on the basic science of breast tissue engineering for cancer patients who have undergone a mastectomy or lumpectomy. The effort will be to develop a program in tissue engineering, encompassing the research and development of new injectable materials and training of graduate and undergraduate students. It also will promote public awareness of bioengineering and critical thinking through the development of a K-12 educational outreach program, a program developed through the combined efforts of the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Education at Clemson University. The mission of the proposed research is to present and justify a new materials approach to tissue engineering. It is hypothesized that by providing a two-phase, composite, injectable material, cell growth and tissue development may be enhanced within a clinically viable solution. Previous studies by the applicant have demonstrated general efficacy of such systems, but have not encompassed a careful assessment of the components. A selection of crafted materials of varying proportions will be addressed and the research will be conducted using a comprehensive battery of mechanical and chemical tests to assess the systems. The success of the basic research concept relies on a well-orchestrated research plan, as well as on education of the involved scientists and future scientists. The science and technology derived from this work will be transferred to other clinical applications presenting similar requirements.