진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

Project title: Mechano-immunomodulatory strategies for bone fracture repair

Project description: Every 3 seconds a person suffers an osteoporosis (OP) related bone fracture, resulting in significant morbidity, mortality and costs of €36 billion p.a. in the EU. Fracture healing is a complex, highly regulated process involving consecutive phases of inflammation, repair and remodelling. Current therapies are ineffective, targeting the repair phase, but non-healing is associated with altered macrophage (Mφ) phenotype and inflammation. A potent regulator of repair is mechanical loading, yet whether mechanics modulate Mφ phenotype, contributing to bone regeneration, is unknown. Therefore, the objective of this project is to decipher the contribution of local mechanics on Mφ phenotype/function during bone repair and harness this information to develop novel strategies to modulate inflammation and promote repair. This will be achieved by determining the impact of loading within the haematoma on Mφ phenotype/secretome and by deciphering the mechanisms of Mφ mechanotransduction and mechanosignalling. The knowledge generated will represent a profound advance in our understanding of mechano-immunology, which will facilitate the direct manipulation of Mφ via novel mechano-biologics. Importantly, by combining these biologics with innovative materials, this project will develop mechano-immunomodulatory materials that would target the early immune environment, providing an innovative alternative path to treatment.