Laboratory of Polymers & Biomaterials

Source of founding: National Centre of Research and Development, LIDER program,  VI edition

Duration: April 2016 - March 2019

Project menager/ principal investigator: Dorota Kołbuk, Ph.D.

Manager/ Principal Investigator: Dorota Kolbuk

Participants: Piotr Denis, Olga Urbanek, Monika Auguscik, Urszula Skalska

Website: http://ligamed.ippt.pan.pl/

Aim

The overall objective of the project is to develop a cell substrate used to regenerate Anterior Cruciate Ligaments (ACL). The use of biodegradable scaffold enables effective natural ligament ACL reconstruction. It is assumed that a further advantage of the present product development will be an increase in the availability of effective medical treatment for patients.

It is expected that artificial scaffold will provide the required mechanical properties and successfully replace functions of the natural ligament. At the same time, the artificial scaffold will enable cells proliferation, migration and differentiation, and thus allow for the reconstruction of natural ECM. An important aspect of the project is the fact that after appropriate time from the implantation, the scaffold will degrade.

Abstract

The project involves development of biodegradable scaffold for regeneration of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and technical documentation preparation. Using the knowledge of the materials science, mechanics, biology and medicine, hybrid scaffold will be developed. It will be characterized by the architecture, structure, chemical and mechanical properties biomimetic to allograft. In the long term, the innovative scaffold would allow ligament regeneration and bone re-modelling in place of scaffold fixation.

Significance of the project for science/ Motivation

Global aging significantly affects the amount of mechanical knee injuries. Currently, increasing sports activity in each age group contributes to many orthopedic injuries.

Current solutions: autografts (gold standard), allografts, commercially available artificial scaffolds for ligaments regenerations indicate many disadvantages. Re-rapture of the treaded ligament is a consequence of above mentioned solutions. In an long time it results in suffer of patients, re-operation, increase on treatment costs etc.

In 2013, 1.3 million young people experienced serious orthopaedic injuries in the USA every year. An annual average of 1.2 million people need hospitalisation because of sports injuries in Europe. According to a report published in 2014 by Transparency Market Research entitled “Orthopedic Soft Tissue Repair Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends And Forecast, 2013 to 2019” the global market for soft tissue repair in 2013 was estimated at 5.6 billion USD. Ii is expected to grow at 7.2% (according to CAGR-the Cumulative Annual Growth Rate) in the years 2013 - 2019. This means that the value is estimated to exceed 8.5 billion in 2019. ACL and PCL reconstruction constitute the highest percentage of regeneration (20%) from all soft tissue and an increase in this group is estimated at 8.3% according to CARG in 2013 - 2019.