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Research projects 2001 - Tissue engineering

Tissue engineering using soluble glass fibre substrates

Drs Jonathan Knowles and Mark Lewis at London’s Eastman Dental Institute have developed a soluble, phosphate-based glass fibre substrate for tissue engineering. Preliminary in vitro culture tests, using cells from human donors, have shown the fibres to be highly suitable for the culture of periodontal ligaments (involved in the attachment of the tooth to the socket). The fibres have also been used for the culture of muscle cells from human donors.

Lord Dowding Fund support will allow research to be carried out into the production of ligament grafts for knee reconstruction. Skeletal ligaments are specialised forms of connective tissue, flexible bands which contribute to the stability of joints. Cultured fibroblasts and a tissue biopsy from the patient will be seeded onto the glass fibres, acting as a scaffold. The ligaments can then be cultured and transplanted into the patients knee. The glass fibres dissolve over a period of time into simple ions, such as potassium, sodium and calcium, that are already present in the body and cause no harm to the patient. Since the graft is cultured from the patient’s own tissue there is no

possibility of rejection. Thus this system is far superior to the synthetic and non-synthetic grafts currently available for this orthopaedic problem. The current synthetic grafts degrade in an unpredictable manner and often result in early failure. Donor grafts obtained from another site of the patient can lead to additional pain, risk of functional losses at the donor site and grafts of unsuitable tissue being carried out. Xenografts from animals have enormous potential for rejection and transfer of disease.

Although focusing on ligament grafts, this research could lead to the creation of engineered human organ replacements. For example, the in vitro culture of new natural heart valves offers a safe and viable alternative to xenografts from pigs. Additionally the fibres may be used for the culture of skin fibroblasts for use on severe wounds and burns.

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