EAPSI: Microscale Gradient Generation Device for Creating the Cellular Types Observed Across the Bone-Cartilage Interface

EAPSI：微尺度梯度生成装置，用于创建在骨软骨界面上观察到的细胞类型

• 批准号: 1614159
• 负责人: Alexander Boys
• 金额: $ 0.54万
• 依托单位: Boys Alexander
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-06-01 至 2017-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1614159&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAPSI; Microscale; Gradient; Generation; Device

Articular cartilage is soft tissue that covers the ends of long bones in human joints, such as the knee joint, and acts to mitigate stress and wear. Articular cartilage transitions into bone through the osteochondral interface. The breakdown of articular cartilage and the osteochondral interface results in osteoarthritis, a disease affecting approximately 27 million Americans according to the CDC. Articular cartilage shows poor healing properties due to its lack of blood flow. Tissue engineered implants offer a promising method for healing articular cartilage in that they can be customized to fit the specific shapes and sizes of defects in articular cartilage, but these implants must show similar structure to cartilage found in the body. The structure and composition of articular cartilage changes with depth and proximity to bone, and these changes are consistent with changes in chondrocyte phenotype (the general shape and size of cartilage cells). This study is directed at recreating these cellular changes by placing chondrocytes into a collagen gel to simulate the knee environment and then applying a gradient of chemical factors that cause the cells to act as they would at the osteochondral interface. This work is performed in collaboration with Dr. Xingyu Jiang of the Chinese National Center for NanoScience and Technology (NCNST), an expert in using small fluid-based devices to affect cellular phenotype. The study will create a flow-less chemical concentration gradient that allows for intercell signaling in a collagen gel environment that is similar to the extracellular matrix of articular cartilage. This gradient will be created through the design and construction of a microfluidic device that relies on diffusion-based principles to apply different chemical compounds that have been shown to affect chondrocyte phenotypes, creating a cellular gradient in hypertrophy similar to what is observed at the osteochondral interface. This work will be used to inform the design of tissue engineered implants for articular cartilage repair.This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China.

关节软骨是软组织，它覆盖了人类关节（例如膝关节）中长骨的末端，并作用于减轻压力和磨损。关节软骨通过骨软骨界面转变为骨头。疾病预防控制中心（CDC）称，关节软骨和骨软骨界面的分解导致骨关节炎，这种疾病影响了约2700万美国人。关节软骨由于缺乏血液而显示出不良的愈合特性。组织工程植入物提供了一种有希望的方法来治愈关节软骨，因为它们可以定制以适合关节软骨中的特定形状和尺寸，但是这些植入物必须显示与体内软骨相似的结构。关节软骨的结构和组成随着深度和与骨骼的邻近的变化而变化，这些变化与软骨细胞表型（软骨细胞的一般形状和大小）的变化一致。这项研究旨在通过将软骨细胞放入胶原蛋白凝胶中来模拟膝盖环境，然后应用一系列化学因子，从而使细胞在骨软骨界面上的作用，从而重新创建这些细胞变化。这项工作是与中国国家纳米科学技术中心（NCNST）的Xingyu Jiang博士合作执行的，该中国国家纳米科学技术中心（NCNST）是使用基于小流体的设备来影响细胞表型的专家。该研究将创建一个无流动的化学浓度梯度，该梯度允许在胶原蛋白凝胶环境中与关节软骨的细胞外基质相似。该梯度将通过设计和构建微流体设备创建，该微流体设备依赖于基于扩散的原理应用不同的化学化合物，这些化合物已显示出影响软骨细胞表型，从。这项工作将用于为关节软骨维修的组织工程植入物的设计提供信息。该奖项在东亚和太平洋夏季研究所计划下，该奖项支持美国研究生的夏季研究，并由NSF和科学和技术部共同资助。中国。