Elizabeth Engel: 'Our research has opened the door to the possibility of regeneration of the nervous system, in which biomaterials will play a fundamental role'
The Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies Research Group, led by Dr. Elizabeth Engel, develops several lines of research on Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies, focusing especially on the design and manufacture of scaffolds to regenerate tissues. In this field, they work with polymers, hydrogels and composites that can be manufactured using different techniques such as electrospinning to make matrices or 3D printing for scaffolds. The applications are diverse, such as bone, neuronal and skin regeneration or cell therapy.
-You have recently presented the results of a project focused on the development of implants for the regeneration of nerve tissue, with very promising advances?
-This research is based on the ability of a nanofibre matrix to reprogramme adult brain cells to become precursor cells. Glia cells, when grown on these nanofibres, become a precursor cell type that supports the regenerative environment in the cerebral cortex. It does this in two ways, by promoting the migration of neurons that will be able to fill in the damage to the injured area and by giving rise to new neuronal cells. This study opens the door to the possibility of regenerating the nervous system, as it demonstrates the ability of cells to dedifferentiate (de-specialise) and thus become tissue-generating cells. On the other hand, this nanofibre scaffold favours vascularisation (generation of new blood vessels) in the injured area, which favours regeneration.
However, although this is a very promising study, it has only been demonstrated in laboratory mice. At the moment, Dr Alcántara's group (University of Barcelona), with whom we have been collaborating on this project for 6 years, is carrying out tests in rats to demonstrate that the new neurons generated are functional.
- What new perspectives does this finding open up for medicine?
-I think there are two very important ones. The first is the regenerative capacity of the brain. The second is that biomaterials play a fundamental role in this regeneration and that they can open up an important path for the development of biomedical devices that allow us to advance in tissue regeneration using systems whose regulation to reach the market is much less complex than advanced therapies based on cells and growth factors.
-You also have an important line of research focused on the production of bioactive nanocomposites that favour vascularisation in bone regeneration, what have been the contributions of your group in this field?
-This is a field in which we have worked a lot over the last seven years. When we want to regenerate tissue, if we don't regenerate blood vessels we are not going to succeed. Our goal was to show that our biomaterial was able to act as a pro-angiogenic stimulus. We were the first to show that endothelial precursor cells (those that form the endothelium of the vessels) had a receptor sensitive to ions, which are a product of glass dissolution, and that together with the mechanical properties of the scaffold, this favoured the recruitment of endothelial cells, their maturation into vessels and the revascularisation of the scaffold. This favours fracture healing by promoting the colonisation of mesenchymal cells. We also show that a similar mechanism is involved in bone mineralisation.
-What results have you obtained from your work on tendon regeneration?
-We have developed a mesh that has good mechanical and biological properties. This project, in collaboration with Dr. Mora, from the Terrassa Health Consortium, is currently being evaluated by a company.
-You have also tackled the production of nanoparticles to administer more effective antibiotics, what advances are derived from this line of research?
This project, in collaboration with Dr. Torrents (IBEC), has shown that surface-modified polymeric nanoparticles loaded with an antibiotic favour the elimination of biofilm, which is the matrix made by bacteria that prevents antibiotics from reaching the infected area. This is a very relevant issue given the current problem of antibiotic resistance. We continue to work on this, proposing new nanoparticles that can be antimicrobial without using antibiotics.
-You are also researching new materials applied to the treatment of vascular ulcers, what is the aim of this project?
-We are developing a dressing based on the bioactivity of our biomaterials that promotes faster regeneration of the dermis and can prevent recurrences.
-What projects or lines of research are priorities for your group in the coming years?
-Our current focus is on two important areas: the development of scaffolds made by 3D printing from polymers and hydrogels, both synthetic and natural. On the other hand, we have already started working on cardiac regeneration.
-What do you think will be the main advances that tissue engineering will bring us in the short or medium term?
-Tissue engineering has long been proposed as the solution to the lack of organs and tissues. Since the possibility of regenerating tissue in the laboratory was first proposed in 1993, scientific advances have been great, but few have reached the patient. Basically because the health regulations for this type of therapy are similar to those for drugs and, therefore, it takes a lot of time and resources to bring them to the market. I believe that the field of in situ regeneration through biomaterials can be a good alternative to overcome the regulatory issues associated with the use of cells and growth factors.
-What are the main challenges that will open up in this field?
-There are many challenges, which is why it is so exciting. 3D printing technology is bursting onto the scene and offers options that were not possible until now, such as the possibility of creating biological scaffolds with high-precision micrometric structures. This makes it possible to work with a variety of biomaterials, combined with cells. There are already companies generating micro-tissues for use as drug testing systems. Hopefully, in the medium term, it will be possible to obtain tissues or organs that can be transplanted into patients.
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