NIH Reporter #1R21AR084300-01A1

Recapitulating the native tendon microenvironment through design of degradable, anisotropic engineered extracellular matrices

NIH awarded $360,580 to University of Oregon for research developing anisotropic engineered extracellular matrices to promote tendon regeneration by mimicking native tendon structure.

Description

This project aims to develop anisotropic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel-based engineered extracellular matrices (eECM) to promote the alignment of human tenocytes and facilitate tendon regeneration. The hydrogels are formed using a two-stage polymerization process that introduces anisotropy and allows scaling without compromising properties. The research involves characterizing material properties, analyzing cell and matrix anisotropy, and assessing gene expression profiles via RNAseq. The project emphasizes balancing structural cues and matrix remodeling to promote regenerative healing and suppress fibrosis, providing insights into material design parameters for developing pro-regenerative environments for tendons and other aligned musculoskeletal tissues.

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