CHIRON: Ceramic Hybrid Interfaces foR Optimal cell stimulatioN

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr.-Ing. Tobias Fey
• Subject Area: Biomaterials ; Synthesis and Properties of Functional Materials
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 551322908

The overarching goal of the CHIRON project is to develop advanced composite biomaterials with novel composite of Siliconcarbide (SiC), Hydroxyapatite (HaP), and Carbon-nanotubes (CNT) coated with DNA-peptide (1D nanomaterial) hybrid interfaces that can effectively stimulate cell growth in a controlled manner and engineer the biological functionality for enhancing cell regeneration by microstructure and surface functionalization, which has broad implications for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and other biomedical fields. This is made possible by a significant improvement in the bonding of the CNTs to the SiC. This will lead to the following objectives: a) develop and optimize a SiC particle-based HaP ceramic matrix composite with a tunable porous microstructure designed to enhance cell-material interactions for biomedical applications, b) achieve selective functionalization of the developed porous SiC-based HaP ceramic matrix composites with CNT and DNA-peptide conjugates to enhance specific cell signaling pathways, thereby optimizing the material for targeted cell stimulation and proliferation in vitro, c) enhance cell regeneration by buttressing mechanical properties through the functionalization, enabling nutrient supply, and simultaneously serving as a scaffold with carbide materials composing both the internal and external environments. The focus in the project is on the implementation of SiC particles to bind the CNT to the carbide, since bonding to the HaP is not possible. In the area of material and porous microstructure development, the different hybrid interfaces will be created using different compositions (dispersed SiC particles, core-shell structure and a combination of both). Selective functionalization of the SiC with CNTs and DNA-peptide compounds then enables enhanced and directed cell growth. Each development step is analyzed for improvement of cell growth by accompanying in vitro cell assays. In addition to the development of novel ceramic composites of SiC and HaP, the formation of hybrid interfaces, i.e. the interface between SiC and HaP as well as SiC and CNT, CNT and DNA-peptide coated and the porosity will be analyzed in detail.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: South Korea
• Partner Organisation: National Research Foundation of Korea, NRF
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Jung Heon Lee