Cryo(bio)printing 3D of patient-specific regenerative implants for the treatment of bone growth plate injuries

• Grant number: 24/00414-4
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Biomedical Engineering - Bioengineering
• Principal Investigator: Thiago Domingues Stocco
• Grantee: Thiago Domingues Stocco
• Host Institution: Universidade Brasil. Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Anderson de Oliveira Lobo ; Daniel Souza Ferreira Magalhães ; Marcus Alexandre Finzi Corat

Abstract

The project aims to develop a novel approach for treating growth plate injuries in immature bones, utilizing groundbreaking cryo(bio)printing 3D technology to create personalized regenerative implants. This proposal is particularly pressing due to the limitations of current treatments in addressing orthopedic complications resulting from growth plate injuries, which significantly impact patient quality of life and impose substantial costs on the public health system. The project intends to surpass conventional methods that fail to restore growth plate functionality by developing an implant with the potential not only to physically fill the lesion space but also to promote tissue regeneration. Facing scientific and technological challenges, the project will endeavor to develop customized and biomimetic scaffolds that replicate the microarchitecture of the growth plate, an advancement believed to be possible thanks to the unique capabilities of cryo(bio)printing 3D. The methodological approach spans from acquiring and processing nuclear magnetic resonance medical images for 3D digital model generation, through assembling a cryo(bio)printing 3D system and formulating and optimizing a hydrogel-based bioink with mesenchymal stem cells, to the biofabrication of growth plate-specific regenerative implants. The validation of the implants will be conducted through comparative morphological and mechanical analyses with native tissue, in addition to investigations of the biological behavior of the scaffolds in vitro and in vivo. With this, it is expected to establish new pathways for the treatment of growth plate injuries and contribute to improving the quality of life for affected children and adolescents. Furthermore, the project seeks to foster the advancement of 3D bioprinting in Brazil, strengthen established international strategic cooperations to enrich local research, contribute to the qualified training of human resources, consolidate the newly created BioRegenera research group by the proponent, and potentially generate patents and the development of products, processes, and/or services. This project not only aims to fill a significant gap in pediatric orthopedic regenerative medicine but also to establish a paradigm for personalized treatments based on 3D bioprinting, with the potential to be extrapolated to other biomedical applications. (AU)