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The early stimulation of wound healing is a key strategy in the regeneration of muscle and bone injuries. In this area the BCRT targets two specific aspects: The first is the development of methods for recognizing patients with wound healing deficiencies with the aim of identifying these patients in the initial intraoperative care phase so that they can be treated with biological stimuli. The second is the identification of biological stimuli for transfer into technical applications.

For the stimulation of tissue regeneration in the case of large defects we were able to demonstrate that both the mechanical property (elasticity) and the structure of biomaterials have a considerable influence on the capacity for regeneration. Together with the other BCRT research fields we took the conventional tissue replacement method used around the world and developed it into an imitation of the healing tissue structure and tissue biology with intelligent biomaterial concepts (the artificial callus), which are now being transferred into clinical practice. Furthermore, our research field develops evaluation methods designed to document the patient's healing progress in the sense of characterizing functional recovery. The BCRT is convinced that in the field of regenerative therapies there is a particular need for early assessment parameters that demonstrate the success or drawbacks of novel therapies at an early stage.

Aims

  • Identification and clinical validation of biomarkers for the prognosis/diagnosis of delayed or absent regeneration after fractures, muscle injuries or tendon ruptures
  • Development and clinical validation of cell-based therapies for the improvement and acceleration of bone and muscle regeneration and the unravelling of the underlying mechanism of action
  • Development of biomaterials and bioactive implants, which specifically control tissue formation and angiogenesis, as well as preventing scarring and a foreign-body-reaction
  • Understand the importance of the immune system and inflammatory reactions for healing with respect to healing disorders of mesenchymal tissues and derive specific intervention strategies therefrom
  • Create a deeper understanding of the interaction between mesenchymal cells and their extracellular matrix to identify physico-mechanical parameters that stimulate and regulate endogenous regeneration

Research Groups