BACTERIAL CELLULOSE HYDROGEL AND EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX FOR CARDIAC TISSUE REGENERATION

• Grant number: 24/16985-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: October 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Maria Angelica Miglino
• Grantee: Otávio Simões Girotto
• Host Institution: Universidade de Marília (UNIMAR). Marília , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/05445-7 - Functionalized tissue factory: bioengineering based on ecm interactions with biopolymers and bioprinting, AP.TEM

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death, accounting for 32% of global deaths, with myocardial infarction and stroke being the most common. Cardiac tissue engineering aims to create cellular grafts that reproduce the properties of the myocardium. Current techniques include the use of biogel, with the aim of providing an efficient replacement of cellular tissue that has suffered injury/necrosis. Biogel, combined with bacterial cellulose gel, offers a promising solution for this tissue repair. Tissue decellularization creates three-dimensional structures that support cell growth; the method removes cells and genetic material, preserving the extracellular matrix (ECM) and promoting the final result of biogel. Bacterial cellulose is a biopolymer with wide application, especially in tissue engineering, due to its biocompatibility and favorable mechanical properties. Research on biogel in fusion with bacterial cellulose gel can significantly contribute to improving the prognosis of patients with CVD. Therefore, the present project aims at the continuous development of the biogel, obtained from the decellularized ECM of canine hearts, in combination with bacterial cellulose gel, which is one of the main innovations of this study. The fusion of these two substances has the potential to create a biomimetic environment suitable for cell adhesion, proliferation and functionality, resulting in a tissue capable of replicating the physiological characteristics of native cardiac tissue. This technological advance could represent a significant transformation in tissue engineering, enabling the creation of personalized cardiac grafts for each patient.