TCD Bioengineer Receives Major European Research Grant to Develop New Stem Cell Based Therapies for Cartilage Repair in Joints

Posted on: 24 September 2010

Dr Daniel Kelly, lecturer in TCD’s School of Engineering, and a Principal Investigator at the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering, has been awarded a major European Research Council (ERC) Starter Grant of €1.5 million. These awards are given to only 300 top scientists across Europe, less than 10% of those who apply.

Dr Kelly’s research focuses on stem cells called Mesenchymal Stem Cells that can be isolated from within damaged or diseased joints such as the knee to regenerate and repair articular cartilage which could prevent arthritis. His research investigates how environmental factors regulate adult stem cells, and the subsequent functional properties of the tissues they produce.

As articular cartilage has a limited capacity to repair, injuries and wounds often progress to arthritis. This has motivated the development of cell based therapies for the repair of cartilage defects. At present such therapies are limited in a number of ways. Firstly, the repair is often temporary, and secondly, widespread adaptation into the clinical setting is impeded by practical issues such as the high cost and time required for such procedures. Dr Kelly’s ERC project aims to develop novel solutions to both of these problems.

Knee joint

Professor Richard Reilly, Director of Trinity’s Centre for Bioengineering said: “The results emanating from Dr Kelly’s research will improve the quality of life for people suffering from damaged and diseased joints.  The Trinity Centre for Bioengineering has a focused research programme delivering excellence in research, education and innovation, but also the translation of innovative solutions into medical devices and interventions that enhance patient care, thus enriching and facilitating the development of the medical device industry in Ireland. Dr Kelly’s project is a perfect example of how bioengineering can positively impact healthcare”.

Professor Margaret O’Mahony, Head of the School of Engineering commented: “This ERC award is a major achievement and reflects the outstanding research being conducted by Daniel Kelly. The ERC aims to stimulate scientific excellence in Europe by supporting the very best, creative researchers of any nationality working, or moving to work, in Europe. Dr Kelly is one of only two Irish scientists to receive this prestigious award”.

The first theme of Dr Kelly’s research project will determine whether Mesenchymal Stem Cells  (MSCs) freshly isolated from fatty and synovial tissue in an injured joint, and then embedded in a hydrogel containing microbead-encapsulated growth factors, can used to engineer functional cartilage tissue. The project builds on earlier findings from his lab that functional cartilaginous tissue can be engineered using MSCs isolated from within the intrapatellar fat pad of the knee. The ultimate aim is to develop a cell based therapy that from MSC isolation to construct implantation could be undertaken within hours in the clinical setting.

The second theme of the project will explore an alternative therapy for cartilage defect repair.  Specifically, the objective is to tissue engineer in vitro a functional tissue with a zonal structure copying that of normal articular cartilage using MSCs. It is assumed that such a zonal structure can be generated by controlling the oxygen tension and mechanical environment within the developing tissue. Dr Kelly’s lab has already demonstrated that both of these environmental cues are key regulators of stem cell differentiation along the chondrogenic lineage, and also influence the functional properties of cartilaginous tissues generated by the cells. By re-engineering fully functional cartilaginous grafts in vitro, it is hoped that cell-based therapies can be expanded to treat larger defects and osteoarthritic joints.

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