Multifunctional Electromagnetic Injectable Hydrogel for Treating Osteochondral Defect Via Neurostimulated Bone Regeneration

The deep osteochondral defects affect millions of people worldwide and remain a challenge for orthopaedic surgeons. It causes a major impact on quality of life, affecting mobility, and poses a major economic burden on the healthcare system. The increasing demand for knee grafts is reflected in the growing market size. The available clinical strategies include surgical methods such as knee grafts, scaffolds of stem cells, and growth factors. However, these suffer from challenges of rejection, high cost, incomplete tissue formation, and provide short-term relief. Traditional biomaterials fail to mimic the bone-cartilage interface, exhibit poor tissue integration, lack signals to recruit cells, and don’t address disease progression and nerve signalling. Electromagnetic (EM) stimulation is a biologically free approach that restores the electrophysiology via neuromodulation for effective tissue repair. However, EM use is limited to toxic biomaterials, painful implantation, and low clinical efficacy at the site. Hence, there is an unmet need for an ideal biomaterial to solve these challenges. The Electro-Nervogel addresses these challenges and advances the field of bone-neuro engineering by developing and testing the safety and efficacy of a multifunctional, minimally invasive injectable hydrogel for osteochondral repair via neuromodulation. The project incorporates biodegradable and sustainable principles into biomaterial science, in line with the European mission Horizon 2020 of the European Green Deal and the UN Decade of healthy ageing. The Global Fellowship will be conducted in partnership with a renowned institute from a third country and the return phase to an associated country. The team is well-equipped with the skills and infrastructure required for the project. The researcher will gain skills that can enhance employability. The project will have societal, technological, and commercial potential as a novel treatment for critical defects.