Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

Using 3D Nonwovens Fabrication to Engineer Region-Specific Extracellular Matrix Structure and Bioactivity of the Knee Meniscus

Award Number: R01AR078245
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTHRITIS & MUSCULOSKELETAL & SKIN DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2027

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Using 3D Nonwovens Fabrication to Engineer Region-Specific Extracellular Matrix Structure and Bioactivity of the Knee Meniscus - PROJECT SUMMARY Meniscal tears are the most commonly reported knee injuries, and approximately 1 million surgeries involving the meniscus are performed annually in the US. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches are being actively pursued as potential alternatives to overcome limitations of current clinical treatments. Yet, the translation of these approaches to clinical application has been hampered by their limited ability to efficiently and reproducibly create physiologic-sized scaffolds featuring anisotropic structural and mechanical properties on the order of native meniscus and zone-specific biological cues provided by the ECM. The overall goals of this proposal are to 1) develop a scaffold that recapitulates the complex structural and mechanical characteristics of the meniscus at multiple scales and incorporates zone-specific ECM cues and 2) assess the long-term function of such scaffolds and their ability to prevent joint degeneration in-vivo. We will use a new high-throughput hybrid approach of 3D Melt Blowing (3DMB) in conjunction with Solution Blowing (SB) that synergistically integrates attributes of traditional nonwovens techniques and 3D printing to create a scaffold featuring macro-geometry, fibrous microarchitecture, and zonal biological cues (meniscus-derived ECM (mECM)) to match the native meniscus. We hypothesize that both biomechanics and mECM cues need to be similar to the meniscus to achieve superior in-vivo outcomes, primarily, reduced cartilage degeneration. Aim 1 is to determine how primary 3DMB and SB process variables influence the structural architecture and biomechanical properties of anatomically-sized meniscus scaffolds made of selected biopolymers and mECM. Aim 2 is to determine whether the incorporation of zone-specific mECM improves infiltration and tissue formation by cells as well as integration with the surrounding meniscus tissue. Aim 3 is to determine whether cartilage degeneration following partial meniscectomy is reduced through the addition of an appropriate mECM formulation within scaffolds with meniscus-matched mechanics. On completion, this project will provide fundamental knowledge about the micro- and macro-level process-structure-function relationships in meniscus-relevant bioactive scaffolds fabricated using our new nonwovens approach, and will serve as a base technology of great significance allowing advances in the treatment of orthopaedic fibrous soft tissue injuries.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2025	NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY	2601 WOLF VILLAGE WAY	RALEIGH	NC	27695	WAKE	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	5	4/29/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $519,098 )
2025	2025	NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY	2601 WOLF VILLAGE WAY	RALEIGH	NC	27695	WAKE	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	5	7/28/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$519,098
														Subtotal = $519,098

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $566,725 )
2024	2024	NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY	2601 WOLF VILLAGE WAY	RALEIGH	NC	27695	WAKE	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	4	7/8/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$566,725
														Subtotal = $566,725

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $638,900 )
2023	2023	NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY	2601 WOLF VILLAGE WAY	RALEIGH	NC	27607	WAKE	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	3	7/6/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$638,900
														Subtotal = $638,900

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $417,648 )
2022	2022	NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY	2601 WOLF VILLAGE WAY	RALEIGH	NC	27607	WAKE	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	2	6/6/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$417,648
														Subtotal = $417,648

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $416,542 )
2021	2021	NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY	2601 WOLF VILLAGE WAY	RALEIGH	NC	27607	WAKE	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	1	6/30/2021	NEW	$416,542
														Subtotal = $416,542

Grand Total All Awards = $2,558,913

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Using 3D Nonwovens Fabrication to Engineer Region-Specific Extracellular Matrix Structure and Bioactivity of the Knee Meniscus

Award Number: R01AR078245

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTHRITIS & MUSCULOSKELETAL & SKIN DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2027

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer