Use of biomateriomics approaches to identify, characterize and validate biomaterials for the production of synthetic neural tissues

• Grant number: 22/15909-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): January 01, 2023
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Cytology and Cell Biology
• Principal Investigator: Marimélia Aparecida Porcionatto
• Grantee: Bruna Maria Manzini
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/12605-8 - Development of brain-on-a-chip microplataforms for in vitro modeling of the central nervous system, AP.TEM

Abstract

The use of artificial biological systems is vast and applicable in tissue engineering, in vitro, and in vivo assays. In these systems, the aim is to represent the complexity of native tissues, combining biomaterials, cells, and a great diversity of biomolecules. In order to obtain the best representation of the native tissue by the biomimetic tissue, it is essential to know the correlation between the manufacturing processes, the structure, and the different properties of the materials, to optimize the choice given the desired application. Computational tools, such as machine learning and omics analysis, can be a promising way to predict material properties and their interaction with the biological components of the construct, providing valuable experimental information. However, the structures of materials can show heterogeneity at scales ranging from nano- to millimeters. Consequently, understanding the structural hierarchy can demand a large number of parameters. Currently, computational methods help understand the structure of advanced materials, boosting their application for developing biomedical devices, and new complex models for disease studies, among other applications. Furthermore, the material's biocompatibility can be analyzed, and multiscale processes can be explored. It is possible to integrate cellular elements with information regarding tissue architecture, incorporating the different functions performed by each system element. Biomateriomics is the science that allows studying the complexity of systems of biological materials, their properties, functionalities, links between fundamental processes, and interactions between structures at different scales. Therefore, this project aims to identify, characterize and validate biomaterials for the fabrication of complex systems that mimic neural tissue. Using computational methods, we will seek to identify materials with the potential for use in 3D bioprinting that add characteristics that reproduce the microenvironment of neural tissue. Additionally, we hope to find materials with the potential to direct the differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) into neural cells. (AU)