METABOLic immuno-engineered biomATErials

ended

Large bone defects display compromised healing associated with pronounced inflammation and constitute a major clinical problem. Recently, a range of novel biomaterial-based approaches have been engineered to promote bone regeneration. However, once these constructs are implanted, they encounter the harsh environment of damaged tissue and often fail to induce a regenerative response. With this MSCA Post-Doctoral Fellowship, I will address the clinical problem of large bone defect repair by harnessing extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from metabolically modulated macrophages to promote the immunogenic, angiogenic, and osteogenic response in the long-term healing cascade. Specifically, my research goal is to generate an immuno-engineered scaffold with these multitargeted regenerative EVs to maximise bone repair. The proposed multidisciplinary project will be carried out in the Tissue Engineering Research Group (TERG) at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), which is a leading partner in the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) funded Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research Centre (AMBER) under the supervision of Prof. Annie Curtis. Additionally, as part of my project training plan, I will carry out a secondment in Trinity College Dublin, under the supervision of Prof. David Hoey, gaining expertise in materials for bone regeneration. At the end of the fellowship, with my non-academic placement at TAmiRNA, a biotech company specialising in diagnostic and therapeutic miRNAs, I will investigate the small RNA-cargo of the pro-regenerative EVs for the identification of new specific therapeutic targets. METABOLATE is a unique opportunity to acquire advanced research competencies and complementary skills through interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral training. This will allow me to mature as an independent scientist and to enrich my professional profile, preparing me for a multitude of career choices.