Over the past 20 years, the P.I. has performed substantial work in the development of engineered systems for the regeneration of musculoskeletal tissues. Systems inspired by his work in the area of bone and soft tissue have now been implanted in man. Now I will use the collective expertise and insight I have obtained to test a bold, new hypothesis that complex tissues and joints can be created and similarly find their way to clinical use in man. For this I will use principles of Regenerative Engineering, concepts recently published in Science, Translational Medicine that refer to the use of new advances in materials science, stem cell science and the understanding of cues from developmental biology in heuristic approaches toward complex tissue regeneration. I will explore integrating the individual component tissues developed via the regenerative engineering approach using expertise in developing matrix and cell-matrix constructs for engineering tissues. As the next step we will develop what I term integrated graft systems (IGS) such as osteochondral, osteoligamentous, muscle/tendon and vascularized tissues. Subsequent steps will examine the integration of peripheral nerve into the tissue systems and to develop additional component tissues. Cues are important. I will use experience in drug delivery and investigate the use of biological effector molecules such as the bone morphogenetic proteins as cues for differentiation. We have recently described a group of molecules we term inducerons-small molecule inducers of differentiation that may be particularly suited for musculoskeletal regeneration. Working with our collaborator, we will utilize cues from developmental biology, particularly limb regeneration as an important part of our work. Finally, we have gained substantial expertise in electrical/biomechanical cues for tissue regeneration. I believe we can utilize these cues for the generation of new functional joint tissues as well as integrate

Public Health Relevance

The problem of musculoskeletal tissue destruction, loss and wear has major societal implications. For example in the area of musculoskeletal joints, there are over 1 million total joint arthroplasty surgeries performed in the United States each year, with a rate of growth of 6% per year projected. Developing a new therapeutic strategy for the regeneration of complex musculoskeletal tissues and joints is proposed in this application. The work will revolutionize the way musculoskeletal tissue injury and wear is treated, tremendously improving the quality of lives of patients.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Type
NIH Director’s Pioneer Award (NDPA) (DP1)
Project #
1DP1AR068147-01
Application #
8758187
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BCMB-N (50))
Program Officer
Wang, Fei
Project Start
2014-09-18
Project End
2019-07-31
Budget Start
2014-09-18
Budget End
2015-07-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
$795,417
Indirect Cost
$295,417
Name
University of Connecticut
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
022254226
City
Farmington
State
CT
Country
United States
Zip Code
06030
Seyedhassantehrani, Negar; Otsuka, Takayoshi; Singh, Shambhavi et al. (2017) The Axolotl Limb Regeneration Model as a Discovery Tool for Engineering the Stem Cell Niche. Curr Stem Cell Rep 3:156-163
Gardiner, David M (2017) Regulation of regeneration by Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans in the Extracellular Matrix. Regen Eng Transl Med 3:192-198
Laurencin, Cato T; Murray, Marsha (2017) An American Crisis: the Lack of Black Men in Medicine. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 4:317-321
Ogueri, Kenneth S; Escobar Ivirico, Jorge L; Nair, Lakshmi S et al. (2017) Biodegradable Polyphosphazene-Based Blends for Regenerative Engineering. Regen Eng Transl Med 3:15-31
Narayanan, Ganesh; Vernekar, Varadraj N; Kuyinu, Emmanuel L et al. (2016) Poly (lactic acid)-based biomaterials for orthopaedic regenerative engineering. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 107:247-276
Mengsteab, Paulos Y; Nair, Lakshmi S; Laurencin, Cato T (2016) The past, present and future of ligament regenerative engineering. Regen Med 11:871-881
James, Roshan; Laurencin, Cato T (2016) Nanofiber technology: its transformative role in nanomedicine. Nanomedicine (Lond) 11:1499-501
Kuyinu, Emmanuel L; Narayanan, Ganesh; Nair, Lakshmi S et al. (2016) Animal models of osteoarthritis: classification, update, and measurement of outcomes. J Orthop Surg Res 11:19
Laurencin, Cato T; Nair, Lakshmi S (2016) The Quest toward limb regeneration: a regenerative engineering approach. Regen Biomater 3:123-5
Kasir, Rafid; Vernekar, Varadraj N; Laurencin, Cato T (2015) Regenerative Engineering of Cartilage Using Adipose-Derived Stem Cells. Regen Eng Transl Med 1:42-49

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