Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/S11510/01
Title:	Development of a mechano-active scaffold for skeletal tissue engineering
Principal Investigator:	Yang, Professor Y
Other Investigators:	Thomas, Mr P El Haj, Professor A Kuiper, Dr J
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	Eindhoven University of Technology
Department:	Sch of Medicine
Organisation:	Keele University
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 July 2003	Ends:	30 November 2006	Value (£):	215,356
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Tissue Engineering
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Healthcare
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Bone tissue is capable of modelling and remodelling according to the localised mechanical environment. As such, the application of defined mechanical stimulation has great potential for skeletal tissue engineering, in particular conditioning a cell seeded construct in vitro and also potentially in vivo. By combining controlled drug delivery techniques with biodegradable materials for scaffold construction, the overall aim of this proposal is to manipulate a key mechanotransducer within the membrane, the mechano-sensitive and voltage operated calcium channels, using a new type of scaffold, the mechano-active scaffold, for skeletal tissue engineering.More specifically, this proposal aims to create a scaffold which encapsulates a calcium channel agonist. The agonist will be released from the scaffold in a controlled manner over a prolonged period. The agonist will act in augmenting the load induced calcium channel activation and potentiating the response. We have demonstrated in pilot studies that this augmentation increases matrix production in short term culture. Our experimentation will investigate the long term consequences of this release agonist in a bioreactor in terms of mechanical strength of the construct matrix and mineralization (both quantity and localisation.) The ability to enhance the matrix production and mineralization in such mechano-active scaffold in response to mechanical load in vitro will be examined.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.keele.ac.uk