This is a resubmitted PROGRAM PROJECT proposal following a thoughtful and supportive Review that has three separate research Projects that are supported by an Administrative Core and four technology Cores. The research Projects use state-of-the-art Tissue Engineering to address issues of articular cartilage repair. The entire proposal is centered on the theme of: Physical, Chemical and Biological Control of Tissue Engineered Cartilage. The approaches focus on cell-based technologies and are an outgrowth of over 20 years of experience in this investigative sector. All of the participants have previously interacted and the formation of this Program resulted from these formal and informal interactions. The long-term objective is to provide technologies that translate into clinically relevant protocols for cartilage repair. Thus, the integration of clinicians, cell and molecular scientists and engineers into a cohesive and interactive PROGRAM PROJECT team provides an effective and efficient mechanism for translating our scientific findings into clinical protocols. The three Projects are: I. Structured Microenvironment for Osteochondral Histogenesis;II. Biomimetic tissue-engineered articular cartilage repair and III. Total Joint Resurfacing. The four technology Cores provide cells (B), bioreactor capabilities (C), morphological processing and analysis (D), and Biomechanical analysis (E). The Administrative Core organizes the interactions between all Program participants and with outside Advisors who provide critical expertise to help guide the Program. Although each Project could stand alone, the open and frequent interactions of the participants adds substantial value both scientifically and clinically to the Program. Lastly, each of the technical Cores has both a service (to the Projects) and a research component that is relevant to the overall theme of the proposal. New text is indicated in the proposal by vertical lines in the margins. The Word software puts lines along paragraphs when even modest changes have been made.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 32 publications
