The project proposes an innovative, bioinspired, and integrated approach for the development of engineered tissue constructs mimicking healthy and aged bone. These constructs will be used as in vitro bone models for preclinical drug screening and basic physiology studies. The networking activities planned within OSTEONET will unravel and share knowledge on the biochemical and biomechanical mechanisms, as well as the cascade of intra- and inter-cellular events, determining osteogenesis and osteointegration.Overall, the project-objectives will result in a thorough understanding of the intricate bone tissue features at multiple levels.

Call: HORIZON-MSCA-SE-2021.

Consortium: Università della Calabria, Cellex srl, Universiteit Gent, Consorzio di Ricerca Hypatia, Tel Aviv University, Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen, Athina Research Center, InSyBio, Lithoz gmbh, AIfactory sp zoo, 7hc srl

Bone ageing reduces the elderly’s quality of life and puts a social and economical burden on society. Aged bones fail more easily when challenged mechanically or chemically, with toxicants or pollutants, and respond differently to drugs than healthy bones. To personalize therapies and enable better preventive care for the elderly it is essential to develop reliable and sustainable in vitro models of aged bone tissue, as an alternative to animal tests which often fail to recapitulate human-bone tissue features.

Call: HORIZON-MSCA-SE-2022.

Consortium: Athina Research Center, Cellex srl, InSyBio, Eden Tech, Telea Biotech, Cnr IFT, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, SUPSI.

The objective of BLUES is to expand the potential of producing valuable and unique bioactive compounds by developing novel culture systems for cell lines of 4 marine invertebrates’ phyla (Porifera, Cnidaria, Echinodermata, Chordata) and optimizing production yield as an alternative to wild harvesting. For many years, research has been done to derive continuous cell lines from invertebrates. Only recently, BLUES partners reached a breakthrough and created the first continuous marine sponge cell line. Results demonstrated that sponge cells of several species can divide extremely rapidly. The ambition is to design the pathway towards industrial bioprocesses using marine invertebrate cell lines from different phyla as a chassis towards the production of unique high-value marine bio-based compounds, an environmentally sustainable alternative to wild harvesting. The technology that will be developed in BLUES will make it possible that valuable marine-derived natural products are produced in bioprocesses and with that contribute to the Blue Bioeconomy.

Call: HORIZON-CL6-2023-CircBio-01-11 – Novel culturing of aquatic organisms for blue biotechnology applications

Consortium: Wageningen University, Cellex srl, Moreforsking AS, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Limited, Matis OHF, Universidade do Minho, Università degli studi di Genova, Geonardo, University of new South Wales

This project aims to develop a digital twin of embryo culture bioprocesses generated through in vitro fertilization, by modelling all relevant culture characteristics. When multiple embyo cultures are carried on, it is essential to predict thus, select, those having a higher implantation probability. Therefore, suitable algorithms will be developed to automatize the selection process based on the cellular responsiveness. Additionally, the project involves comparing static and dynamic culture methods through experiments on bovine embryos, which will then be translated to human cells using the digital twin approach.

Call: MIMIT Innovation

Consortium: Wageningen University, Cellex srl, Moreforsking AS, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Limited, Matis OHF, Universidade do Minho, Università degli studi di Genova, Geonardo, University of new South Wales, 7hc srl.

This project aims at obtaining a platform that offers advanced solutions for the optimization of both soft and hard tissue workflows, taking advantage of a complete and automated production process in a closed system. It also aims to develop an innovative control system that continuously monitors biochemical and mechanophysical variables, enabling environmental modifications such as the addition of nutrients and temperature changes during production.

ITALIAN VERSION

Il progetto 3D-creator, portato avanti da Cellex s.r.l, Fondazione Edoardo Amaldi, 7hc s.r.l e l’istituto di Farmacologia Traslazionale del CNR, si propone di sviluppare una piattaforma automatizzata per la coltura di tessuti bioingegnerizzati, sia quelli cosiddetti duri che quelli molli.

Per tessuti bioingegnerizzati s’intendono quei tessuti umani creati in laboratorio per la loro applicazione terapeutica (e.s. frammenti di pelle per il trattamento di pazienti gravemente ustionati). L’obiettivo del progetto è quello di creare tessuti ossei ed esofagei usando un sistema di coltura integrato con un avanzato sistema di controllo per diminuire le manipolazioni da parte degli operatori riducendo, tra l’altro, anche il rischio di contaminazione batterica.

Questa piattaforma ha lo scopo di ricostruire il più fedelmente possibile il microambiente nativo del tessuto bioingegnerizzato, attraverso l’uso di scaffolds (“impalcature”) realizzati con materiali biocompatibili che si avvicinino il più possibile all’architettura del tessuto nativo (osseo ed esofageo). Tutto ciò consentirà di creare un modello in vitro affidabile per lo studio preclinico, in linea con il principio delle 3R: Reduce, Refine, Replace, che punta a ridurre l’uso di modelli animali nella ricerca biomedica.

Call: Avviso “Riposizionamento Competitivo RSI” a valere sul Programma FESR 2021-2027 di cui alla Det. n. G18823 del 28/12/2022 e concesso con la Det. n. G15206 del 16/11/2023 – CUP F89J23001140007.