Stem Cells and Graphene Oxide: Challenge for development of a biocompatible material in Urology

• Grant number: 14/08349-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2014
• End date: September 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Wagner José Fávaro
• Grantee: Marcela Andrea Durán Haun Senatore
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The need to find a durable material, of easy use, and which does not interfere significantly in the growth and differentiation of stem cells for the construction of a scafford for use in urologic surgery, with the purpose of reducing infections, regeneration times and even graft rejection during reconstitution in patients with urethral urethral stricture was conducted a broad survey of information about this and came to the consensus of this project: using graphene oxide, a widely studied nano materials which has been presenting numerous beneficial results when in contact with the stem cells . Just as the choice of a natural compound chitosan mucoadhesive characteristics that serve as "glue" to these stem cells - graphene oxide scaffords. Advanced techniques for the growth, differentiation and proliferation of mesenchymal adipose stem cells will be used, as well as the characterization of graphene oxide sheets. Detailed analysis will be performed at each stage of this project to evaluate the interference of these nanocomposites to stem cells, the mucoadesividade and especially in vivo toxicology of these compounds involved to build the final scaffords. The expected results are that there not will be negative interference among the stem cells, graphene oxide and chitosan and that a mucoadesividade will be satisfactory to test on the animal phase in the repair of urologic lesions.