LAMINECTOMY REPAIR USING 3D BIOPRINTED SCAFFOLDS AND HUMAN DENTAL PULP MESENCHYMAL CELLS

• Grant number: 23/13053-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): February 01, 2024
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Histology
• Principal Investigator: Alexandre Leite Rodrigues de Oliveira
• Grantee: Letícia Alves Martins de Carvalho
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Laminectomy procedure widely have been used in surgery to expose and decompress the spinal cord. However, there are limitations related to loss of bone support, excessive scarring, adhesions, and secondary compression of nervous tissue. To provide a barrier between soft and mineralized tissues giving better mechanical support for the spinal cord, substitute artificial blades with biomimetic characteristics can be applied. The biofabrication and applying of scaffolds as protective and pro-regenerative barriers could present a translational potential for repair of bone defects after surgery. Thus, this project aims to develop three-dimensional hybrid bioactive membranes of GelMA-PCL, with macroporous and interconnected architecture patterns, to stimulate the regeneration of spinal bone tissue through mesenchymal stem cells from the pulp human tooth decay and adequate cell signaling with trophic factors. In the first phase of the study, the scaffolds will be biomanufactured and characterized by physical-chemical-biological parameters for selection of potential formulations. Analyzes of bone formation, histology and in vivo gene transcripts will be performed. Therefore, the qualitative data will be analyzed descriptively, and the quantitative will be submitted to specific statistical analysis.