Chondrogenesis in Enzymatically Degradable Hydrogels

描述（由申请人提供）：这个K22学者发展和教师过渡职业奖的总体目的是提供额外的（1年）博士后指导和支持，以推进光聚合水凝胶软骨组织工程领域的主要研究者除了支持（4年）作为一个独立的教员继续在这一领域的研究。拟议的研究起源于补充主要研究者在开发用于骨组织工程的新型光交联生物材料方面的背景，其长期目标是开发用于颅面应用的骨和软骨界面的复杂材料。主要研究者的总体目标是开发一个国际公认的研究实验室，该实验室使用新材料的合成和修饰作为开发临床相关疗法的平台。本提案中概述的拟议研究和职业发展计划由来自马萨诸塞州总医院和马萨诸塞州理工学院的主要研究者和导师制定，旨在实现这一目标。 可光聚合的水凝胶具有许多有利于软骨组织工程的性质，包括：在体内形成以填充具有潜在粘附和整合性质的复杂缺陷的能力，对聚合过程的空间和时间控制，以及生物信号容易地并入网络中以控制细胞分化和组织形成。这些特性将是非常有益的软骨再生颅面重建。考虑到这些好处，拟议研究的主要目标是： . 合成并表征通过酶降解过程再吸收可光聚合的共聚物水凝胶网络， . 研究由包封在水凝胶网络中的软骨细胞形成的组织的数量、分布和类型作为水凝胶组成的函数， . 将信号并入水凝胶网络中以控制光包封的间充质干细胞的软骨形成分化，以及 . 分析这些技术的临床应用所需的光聚合结构的关键问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall purpose of this K22 Scholar Development and Faculty Transition Career Award is to provide additional (1 year) postdoctoral mentorship and support to the principle investigator in the area of advancing photopolymerizable hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering in addition to support (4 years) as an independent faculty member to continue research in this field. The proposed research originated to complement the principle investigator's background in the development of novel photocrosslinkable biomaterials for bone tissue engineering with a long-term objective of developing complex materials at the interface of bone and cartilage for craniofacial applications. It is the general goal of the principle investigator to develop an internationally recognized research laboratory that uses the synthesis and modification of novel materials as a platform for the development of clinically relevant therapeutics. The proposed research and career development program outlined in this proposal were developed by the principle investigator and Mentors from both the Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in an effort to achieve this goal. Photopolymerizable hydrogels have many properties that are beneficial for cartilage tissue engineering including: the ability to form in vivo to fill complex defects with potential adhesive and integrative properties, both spatial and temporal control over the polymerization process, and biological signals are readily incorporated into the networks to control both cellular differentiation and tissue formation. These properties would be extremely beneficial for the regeneration of cartilage in craniofacial reconstruction. With these benefits in mind, the primary aims of the proposed research are to: . synthesize and characterize photopolymerizable copolymer hydrogel networks that resorb via an enzymatic degradation process, . investigate the quantity, distribution, and type of tissue formed by chondrocytes encapsulated in hydrogel networks as a function of hydrogel composition, . incorporate signals into hydrogel networks to control the chondrogenic differentiation of photoencapsulated mesenchymal stem cells, and . analyze critical issues of the photopolymerized constructs necessary for clinical application of these techniques.