Our broad objective is to investigate the potential of producing bone-related """"""""proactive biomaterials,"""""""" which will elicit specific, timely, and desirable functions from surrounding bone cells and tissues. We hypothesize that the influences of specific adhesive peptides/proteins and select cytokines/growth factors can combine to amplify subsequent, clinically-relevant cellular functions. Therefore, we propose to explore the combined effects of co-immobilized adhesive proteins/peptides and select growth factors (or novel, growth factor-derived peptides) on bone-related cells. Specifically, we intend to quantify and compare clinically-relevant osteoblast functions (adhesion, proliferation, and deposition of mineralized matrix) and fibroblast functions (adhesion, proliferation, and extracellular protein production) on control and chemically-modified substrates. The proposed study will elucidate fundamental methods of controlling bone cell and tissue functions, and is thus relevant not only to the design of proactive biomaterials, but also to other bone cell/tissue engineering efforts including the directed generation of bone in vitro and/or in vivo for replacement, repair, or augmentation of naturally-occurring tissue.
