Injectable scaffold for tissue engineering

PI: Paweł Nakielski
Funding agency: National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR)
Programme: Lider 9
Grant period: 1th February 2019 - 31st January 2022

Spine diseases are a significant medical problem affecting many people around the world, and spinal pain syndromes are among the most common symptoms in clinical practice. In Poland, the statistics of the Social Insurance Institution (Medical Abuse in 2016) indicate that spinal root and nerve plexus disorders, low back pains and other intervertebral disc diseases constitute 17% of the total number of days of sick leave. In connection with the above, the aim of this project is to design and form an injectable scaffold as a carrier in cell therapy, which will contribute to the regeneration of the intervertebral disc, including the increase of its height. This product will be part of the treatment of patients with chronic back pain and a means for other treatment methods, e.g. as a drug release system. Minimally invasive procedures are a growing need for both the patient and hospital staff due to the possibility of discharging the patient on the same day. Patients feel significantly reduced pain due to such procedures, they experience much smaller side effects together with a lower risk of reoperation and post-operative infections.