Comparison Of Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells And Induced Pluripotent Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells For Periodontal Regeneration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$831,955.00
Summary
In the first part of this study we will determine whether induced pluripotent stem cells or adult stem cells from the periodontal ligament are better candidates for periodontal regeneration. Secondly, using CAD/CAM technology we will make tissue engineering scaffolds tailored to fit periodontal defects and seeded with stem cells to improve on current techniques used to regenerate damaged tissues around teeth affected by periodontal disease.
Osteochondroreticular Stem Cell Therapy For Osteoarthritis: The Right Cells For The Job.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$561,956.00
Summary
"Wear and tear" arthritis of the knee, hip and back joints is known as osteoarthritis. This causes significant health burden and costs in our community, particularly in older Australians. Osteoarthritis begins with the loss of joint cartilage. We believe that a new type of stem cells (OCR stem cells) offer the greatest promise to generate and thus therapeutically replace joint cartilage. Our studies test this hypothesis and develop preclinical translation of our discoveries in mice into humans.
Engineering An Osteochondral Tissue For Cartilage Defect Repair
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$438,568.00
Summary
Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of pain and disability in Australia. Our team has developed a novel method to make new cartilage tissue from patients' own bone marrow stem cells. Through NHMRC funding we will optimize this process and test the repair technology in a large animal model.
Upscaling Cardiac Tissue Engineering: Differentiation Of IPS Cells, Enrichment And Bionic Approaches
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$709,758.00
Summary
Stem cell therapies to repair heart muscle are experimental methods which promise future clinical treatments. Our tissue engineering chamber model provides a protective environment for implanted cells and generates contracting heart tissue. Towards clinical application we will scale up the tissue volume produced by: improving cell supply with new stem cell technologies, design chambers for bulk cell implantation, adopt a bionic approach to cell pacing and apply the model into larger animals.
Evaluation Of Tissue Engineered Decellularised Biphasic Constructs For Periodontal Regeneration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$578,031.00
Summary
This project aims to regenerate the tissues lost as a result of gum disease. This will be done using scaffolds that replicate the complex structure of periodontal tissues.The scaffolds will be loaded with cells and allowed to mature before the cellular component is removed. The resultant construct is then inserted back into periodontal defects where it will be repopulated by host cells. This approach has the potential to be developed into an off-the-shelf clinical treatment.
Creating A Vascularized Human Liver Organoid To Treat Liver Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$696,968.00
Summary
Due to a shortage of donor livers many patients suffering liver failure die before a liver transplant can be arranged. This project will grow human liver tissue (termed a liver organoid) using a specilaized human liver support material in which human liver cells and their specific blood vessels are assembled in the laboratory. The liver organoid will be transplanted into animals with a liver disease similar to a known human liver disease to test if the organoid can cure the liver disease.
Pre-clinical Validation Of A Novel Implant For Bone Tissue Engineering
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$435,767.00
Summary
The aim of this grant to was examine a new method for manufacturing implants to improve repair of critical bone defects. It involves new technology for the manufacture of porous scaffolds and testing their delivery in a biological, bone repair setting.
Discovery Of Novel Heart Failure Therapeutics Via Development Of A Next Generation Therapeutic Screening Platform: Force-generating Human Heart Tissue Micro-arrays
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$463,524.00
Summary
In this project we will develop a micro scale platform containing 384 miniature human heart muscle strips. The technology we develop will enable us to determine the strength of the contraction of each strip which is a model of heart function. This provides us a platform to better understand heart disease and also to screen for new drugs for heart failure.
Tissue Engineering A Cell-based Therapy For Pelvic Organ Prolapse Repair
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$709,975.00
Summary
Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a hidden burden affecting 50% of all women. POP is the herniation of the uterus, bladder and/or bowel into the vagina causing incontinence and sexual dysfunction. POP results from injury to pelvic tissues during childbirth. Reconstructive surgery used to treat POP often fails. We aim to develop an innovative cell-based therapy using a woman’s own mesenchymal stem cells combined with novel scaffold materials that will regenerate the damaged pelvic tissues.
A Preclinical Humanized Chimeric Model To Investigate Novel Therapeutic Strategies Against Breast Cancer Bone Metastasis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$696,362.00
Summary
Using the humanized in-vivo model presented, researchers are in a unique position to develop and evaluate novel therapeutic strategies against breast cancer bone metastasis at multiple intervention points from the primary tumour to bone metastasis. This model makes it possible to study anti-cancer and anti-resorptive effects of human-specific drugs such as the monoclonal antibody Denosumab. The model eventually may help to decrease morbidity and mortality of breast cancer patients.