Project Info

Peptide-Modified Biomaterials for Growth Plate Cartilage Regeneration

Melissa Krebs
mdkrebs@mines.edu

Project Goals and Description:

The growth plate is a complex cartilage structure located at the end of long bones which mediates growth in children. When injured, fibrous bony repair tissue can form, instead of healthy growth plate cartilage, which interrupts the normal pattern of growth and can result in angular deformities or growth arrest. Current solutions for growth plate injuries do not adequately prevent the formation of bony repair tissue and do not regenerate the healthy cartilage, making this a significant clinical issue. The objective of this work is to design injectable alginate/chitosan hydrogels that exhibit presentation of peptides that are known to be anti-angiogenic and that may aid in the prevention of bony tissue formation. Specifically, this study aims to design a hydrogel system with controlled presentation of anti-angiogenic peptides to block angiogenic activity in endothelial cells and thereby also block osteogenic differentiation in mesenchymal stem cells to prevent bony bar formation in growth plate injuries.

More Information:

Grand Challenge: Engineer better medicines.
  1. Adhikari B, Stager MA, Collins EG, Fischenich KM, Olusoji J, Ruble AF, Payne KA, Krebs MD. Sustained release of MAPK14-targeting siRNA from polyelectrolyte complex hydrogels mitigates MSC osteogenesis in vitro with potential application in growth plate injury. J Biomedical Materials Research Part A, 112(12), 2346-57, December 2024.
  2. Stager MA, Thomas SM, Rotello-Kuri N, Payne KA, Krebs MD. Polyelectrolyte Complex Hydrogels with Controlled Mechanics Affect Mesenchymal Stem Cell Differentiation Relevant to Growth Plate Injuries. Macromolecular Bioscience, 22(9), e2200126, Sept 2022.
  3. Erickson CB, Newsom JP, Fletcher NA, Yu Y, Rodriguez-Fontan F, Weatherford SA, Hadley-Miller N, Krebs MD, Payne KA. Anti-VEGF Antibody Delivered Locally Reduces Bony Bar Formation Following Physeal Injury in Rats. Journal of Orthopedic Research, Aug. 2021.
  4. Erickson CB, Newsom JP, Fletcher NA, Feuer ZM, Yu Y, Rodriguez-Fontan F, Hadley-Miller N, Krebs MD, Payne KA. In Vivo Degradation Rate of Alginate-Chitosan Hydrogels Influences Tissue Repair Following Physeal Injury. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research: Part B – Applied Biomaterials, 108(6), 2484-2494, August 2020.

Primary Contacts:

Melissa Krebs, mdkrebs@mines.edu

Student Preparation

Qualifications

Desire to pursue challenging but impactful biomedical research. Having some research / lab experience already is a plus.

TIME COMMITMENT (HRS/WK)

5-8

SKILLS/TECHNIQUES GAINED

The student will gain experience in polymer modification, characterization, and cell culture. Characterization will include chemical and mechanical characterization of the resultant biomaterials, as well as biochemical characterization of the cell response to the materials. Culture of primary and stem cells will be important in this project.

MENTORING PLAN

The student will be directly mentored and trained in the lab by a PhD student. They will directly work with and report to the PhD student, as well as having regular meetings with the PI to report on progress on the project. The student will present their work at the Mines undergraduate research conference.

Preferred Student Status

Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Return to All Project Page
Share This