Congratulations to Debby Gawlitta for receiving funding from the Open Technology Programme (NWO)
Six research projects received funding this month within the Open Technology Programme (OTP). The board of NWO Domain Applied and Engineering Sciences also awarded funding to 35 Take-off projects.
Bridging the gap: aXelerated Large bone defect healing (XLbone) – dr. ir. D. Gawlitta, University Medical Center Utrecht (19260)
Bone is the second most transplanted tissue worldwide. There is an urgent need for the development of a new generation of bone substitutes. Tissue-engineered constructs, consisting of cells, biomaterials and bioactive molecules, can offer a promising alternative. With these, mimicry of the natural pathway for bone formation via a cartilage intermediate is feasible. In this project, the mechanisms will be unraveled that underlie a novel bone regenerative strategy that is based on creating a scalable cartilage template. Also, we will generate a proof of concept for the restoration of large bone defects of clinically relevant size.