Trinity Immunologists and Bioengineers work together to develop immune-modulating biomaterials that enhance stem cell differentiation.
27 February 2020
Trinity scientists have developed an immune modulating scaffold for bone defect healing containing bone mimetic nano hydroxyapatite particles (BMnP). They demonstrate that, in contrast to commercially available micron-sized hydroxyapatite particles, in-house generated BMnP preferentially polarize human macrophages towards a pro-healing M2 phenotype. Furthermore, nano-particle treated macrophages enhance mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) osteogenesis in vitro and this occurs in an IL-10 dependent manner, demonstrating a direct pro-osteogenic role for this cytokine. The study was led by AMBER investigators Prof Aisling Dunne (School of Biochemistry & Immunology) and Prof Danny Kelly (Trinity Centre for Bioengineering). PhD student, Olwyn Mahon is lead author on the article which was published this week in the leading Bioengineering journal, Biomaterials.
Commenting on the paper, Prof Dunne said: ‘This study has demonstrated that bone mimetic nano hydroxyapatite particles have immunomodulatory potential and are capable of directing anti-inflammatory innate immune-mediated responses that are associated with tissue repair and regeneration’.
For further details, see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.119833
