This project is a collaborative effort involving investigators from the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. The main goal of this project is to develop and validate electrospun nanofibers as a new platform for musculoskeletal research, with an initial focus on the demonstration of scaffolds for tissue repairing at the tendon-to-bone insertion site. In this project, we will fabricate nanofibers by electrospinning and then optimize their use as scaffolds for tissue engineering by in vitro cell culture studies. We will then evaluate the performance of these nanofibrous scaffolds in vivo using a clinical-relevant animal model for the repair of supraspinatus tendon at the insertion site.
Our research will work to develop and validate electrospun nanofibers as a new platform for musculoskeletal research, with initial proof of concept application in repair of rotator cuff tendon (shoulder). Potential future applications include orthopaedic repair of skeletal defects related to fractures and bone tumors, and cartilage defects due to injury and osteoarthritis.
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