Spatiotemporal regulation of sprouting angiogenesis through combined mechanical and geometrical cues (P10)

• Subject Area: Medical Informatics and Medical Bioinformatics
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 427826188

Vascularization is tightly interlinked with tissue mineralization during bone regeneration. Impaired angiogenesis leads to a failure of the bone regeneration process with delayed or non-union outcomes. Mechanical signals are known to impact vascularization with consequences for the bone healing process. In this project, we aim to investigate how local mechanical tissue strains and extracellular matrix properties (composition, patterning) influence the growth of vessels. Towards this aim, we will combine an in vitro 3D bone defect model with computer simulations to quantify the spatial distribution of mechanical strains and to investigate the respective cellular response leading to vessel growth. We hypothesize that mechanical and geometrical signals can be synergized in architectural scaffold designs to control re-vascularization for improved bone defect healing

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1444: Directed Cellular Self-Organization to Advance Bone Regeneration
• Applicant Institution: shared FU Berlin and HU Berlin through:; Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
• Project Heads: Professorin Dr. Sara Checa; Professor Dr. Ansgar Petersen