Cocktails of Different Populations of Genetically Modified Human Umbilical Cord Perivascular Cells for Bone Regeneration

The loss of bone is a massive burden on the health care system and severely impacts the quality of life of several hundred million people. The need for alternative strategies to replace or regenerate bone tissue is overwhelming. We are proposing a completely new approach to the engineering of bone using a ―cocktail‖ of genetically modified human umbilical cord perivascular cells (HUCPVCs) that can be produced in vast numbers, stored in liquid nitrogen so that they could be ready for therapeutic purposes. The HUCPVC technology is represents the core IP of our industrial partner, Tissue Regeneration Therapeutics Inc. The intern will conduct experiments to test the effects of varying the percentages of different cells within the cocktails; generate quantitative data concerning the absolute amount of secreted protein; and assess the bioactivity of the released protein. Tissue engineering and ex-vivo gene therapy can be used synergically as a tool to regenerate bone that overcomes the problems of currently available bone replacements.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Bernhard Ganss

Student:

Catalina Estrada

Partner:

Tissue Regeneration Therapeutics Inc.

Discipline:

Dentistry

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

University of Toronto