Study on the viscoelastic properties of gels from the extra-cellular matrix of decellularized tissue for therapeutic applications in cardiac and parenchymal tissue

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The field of health, including surgery and regenerative medicine, requires materials allowing the migration, retention and growth of healthy cells from the surrounding tissues of the patient. In the form of gels and hydrogels, these materials are considered scaffold structures. They can be injected directly (without surgery) into the pathological site requiring treatment, or molded or printed, and then implanted using conventional surgery. In any case, the elastic and viscous properties of these highly hydrated materials are essential in order to modulate the gelation and the biological properties. Currently, the ability to cellularize these materials, by integrating cells, is the next frontier in this field. The characterization of cellularized samples would make it possible to develop gels which, when implanted, would be able to regenerate and replace the functions of diseased tissues. In the proposed project, the first objective consists in the development of a novel sample holder for the contactless viscoelastic characterization of cellularized hydrogels to be used with the innovative and unique theological equipment developed by Rheolution. Second, thanks to the presence of Tissuegraft, and their expertise in formulating hydrogels from decellularized extracellular matrix extracted from animal tissues, will be the optimization of the composition of a gel stimulating recruitment and regeneration from human cells for the repair and regeneration of defects in cardiac or parenchymal organs, using the sample holder developed by Rheolution and validated within the framework of the 1st objective. The unique expertise at the Biomaterials and Bioengineering Laboratory of ULaval, combining the modification of surface properties and the mechanical characterization of the gels developed, constitutes the keystone to allow the characterization of these cellularized gels. Finally, the third objective is to explore the potential for the development of a new in vitro model based on the developed Rheolution sample holder and Tissuegraft hydrogels.