Development and evaluation of tissue-specific bioinks for 3-D printing of meniscus**********

该项目将在Aspect Biosystems（一家专门从事3d生物打印的加拿大生物技术公司）和Western University的Flynn实验室之间建立新的合作关系，以推进Aspect开发3d打印（3DP）工程半月板组织，作为治疗半月板损伤的创新个性化医学方法。基于Flynn实验室在软组织工程策略设计方面的专业知识，利用天然衍生生物材料的促进再生功能，该Engage项目的主要重点将放在开发针对半月板独特成分的新型组织特异性生物链接配方上，该配方可用于3d打印定制结构，以高保真度模仿人类半月板的复杂3d几何形状。该项目解决了专门为该应用设计的新型生物墨水的关键需求，除了能够打印具有明确定义的支架结构的细胞种子结构外，还可以提供支持长期细胞存活和组织整合所需的生物线索。开发的生物墨水将使用Aspect专有的3d打印平台进行测试，并将使用来自脂肪的成体干细胞作为潜在的治疗细胞来源，在细胞培养模型中探索其细胞支持和促进再生能力。长期目标是将生物连接技术转化为加拿大的经济效益，并应用组织工程半月板结构来推进更有效的治疗，以提高加拿大人的生活质量。该项目还将为弗林实验室的高素质人才提供独特的培训机会，帮助他们培养未来在生物技术领域的宝贵技能

This project will establish a new collaboration between Aspect Biosystems, a Canadian biotechnology company specializing in 3-D bioprinting, and the Flynn lab at Western University, to advance Aspect's development of 3-D printed (3DP) engineered meniscus tissues as an innovative personalized medicine approach for the treatment of meniscal injuries. Building on the Flynn lab's expertise in the design of soft tissue-engineering strategies harnessing the pro-regenerative functionality of naturally-derived biomaterials, the main focus of this Engage project will be on the development of novel tissue-specific bioink formulations tuned to the unique composition of the meniscus that can be used to 3DP customized constructs that mimic the complex 3-D geometry of the human meniscus with high fidelity. This project addresses the critical need for new bioinks designed specifically for this application that can provide the biological cues required to support long-term cell survival and tissue integration in addition to enabling the printing of cell-seeded constructs with well-defined scaffold architectures. The developed bioinks will be tested using Aspect's proprietary 3-D printing platform, and their cell-supportive and pro-regenerative capacities will be probed in cell culture models using adult stem cells derived from fat as a potential therapeutic cell source. The long-term goals are to translate the bioink technologies to be of economic benefit to Canada and to apply the tissue-engineered meniscus constructs to advance towards more effective therapies to improve the quality of life of Canadians. This project will also provide unique training opportunities for highly qualified personnel in the Flynn lab, helping them to develop valuable skills for future careers in the biotechnology sector.**