Dynamic Bioink Toolbox for Osteoarthritic Joint Modeling – DYNAM-OA

Bioprinting-assisted disease modeling is an exciting new avenue of research. It holds the promise of new alternatives to animal models for faster, wider and more ethical biological investigations and drug screening. As such, it also offers new perspectives for the identification of therapeutic targets and drugs, in particular for diseases without cures such as osteoarthritis. Yet, bioprinting tools are still extremely limited to date, especially printable biomaterials, which lack tunability in composition and mechanical properties. Therefore, recapitulating the complex architecture and biological features of diseased tissues in vitro remains a tremendous challenge.

With the DYNAM-OA project, I will develop a series of forefront bioprinting tools, before applying them to design an in vitro model of osteoarthritic joint. I will first develop a new class of printable biomaterials addressing all issues related to extrusion-based bioprinting. Then, I will investigate the use of a new mixing technology for the bioprinting of multi-material and gradient constructs. Together, these tools will allow me to tune, and control in time and space, the composition and mechanical properties of bioprinted objects.

Taking advantage of these new technologies, I will design the first bioprinted model of osteoarthritic joint. The envisioned construct will include three tissues playing a crucial role in the development of osteoarthritis, namely cartilage, subchondral bone and synovial membrane, all bioprinted. Then, I will validate the biological relevance of the model with conventional anti-inflammatory drugs, before applying it for two biomedical applications, namely in vitro cell therapy testing and population-specific models.

This groundbreaking work will set the foundation for new biological investigations and drug screening strategies, in the context of osteoarthritis and beyond, with major discoveries and new treatments down the line.