Event
Bioengineering Seminar Series: Jennifer Elisseeff
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
2108 Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building
Professor Adam Hsieh
(301) 405-7397
hsieh@umd.edu
Please note the time change for this week's seminar.
Regenerative medicine in the musculoskeletal system
Presented by Jennifer H. Elisseeff
Associate Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Design and translation of tissue engineering strategies in the musculoskeletal system requires both basic science and applied engineering design considerations. Cartilage is an ideal target tissue for repair since it lacks the ability to regenerate. Current surgical techniques for cartilage repair aim to provide an avenue for marrow cells to enter a defect site and produce new tissue. We are designing materials to improve standard surgical techniques but older or arthritic patients will likely require exogenous cells to achieve repair. Tissue engineering strategies, including cells and a biomaterial scaffold, are at the forefront of cartilage repair. To evaluate cell types for cartilage repair, we compared the differentiation and tissue forming capabilities of cells derived from adult marrow, embryonic germ and stem cells, in addition to primary cells (chondrocytes). The different cell types, particularly the embryonic-derived, required unique biological signals to be incorporated in the biomaterial scaffold to direct the cell behavior and achieve functional tissue formation. Understanding the biology of cell response and tissue development was critical for proper biomaterial design consideration. To translate cell and tissue engineering strategies to the challenging joint environment, novel chemistry to integrate synthetic materials and surrounding tissue was developed. We both chemically modified the tissue surface and a cartilage-derived polysaccharide to covalently bond the lubricous cartilage surface with a synthetic biomaterial. Biomaterial integration was required to retain biomaterials in vivo and was the basis for a one year large animal study to demonstrate efficacy in cartilage repair. Modification of tissue surfaces to improve biomaterial implantation is an important general technique that may be applied to other fields and both short and long term implantation of synthetic materials.
