Development of a biosensor to evaluate osteoblast cell growth factor expression in contact with biomaterials

• Grant number: 22/08733-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2022
• End date: August 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Dayane Batista Tada
• Grantee: Raquel Ferreira Brasil
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia (ICT). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São José dos Campos. São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The present project aims to develop a technique capable of detecting growth factors expressed by bone cells quickly and accurately. This evaluation is of great importance in the process of developing biomaterials for use in bone regeneration. The market for developing biomaterials for use in bone restructuring is still expanding, with the main purpose of producing devices with high ability to adapt to the body, resulting in low rates of rejection, high capacity to promote tissue regeneration, and with a good cost-benefit ratio. Thus, it is of utmost importance to create technologies capable of quickly and accurately evaluating such materials still under development with in vitro tests, not only for economic reasons, but also for safety. The method to be developed in this project consists in the use of the Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging (SPRi) technique. The bone cell culture will be exposed to ceramic biomaterials developed by partner researchers. The main material to be used is the Wollastonite cement that is being developed and will be provided by Prof. Dr. Gilmar Patrocínio Thim, from LabNano Tec - ITA. After different incubation periods of the material with the cells, the medium in which the cells grew will be analyzed in the SPRi equipment. The biochip to be used in SPRi will be previously functionalized with anti-GF and VEGF growth factor antibodies. The reflectivity variations after the injection of cell culture medium will indicate the presence of these factors as well as allow their quantification. With this project it is expected that the biochip can evaluate, through the SPRi technique, the cell excretion of growth factors in real time, allowing greater agility in the evaluation of the materials as they are being developed. This way, the biomaterial development process can be adjusted according to the bone cell responses, aiming to obtain the biomaterial that induces the production of growth factors that are more adequate to the bone regeneration process. It is worth mentioning that there are no indications in the literature of studies regarding the development of a biochip for the evaluation of bone biomaterials, and this is a pioneer study.(AU)