While new biomaterials for regenerative therapies are being reported in the literature, clinical translation is slow. Existing regenerative approaches rely on high doses of growth factors, such as BMP-2 in bone regeneration, which can cause serious side effects. We describe an ultra-low-dose growth factor technology yielding high bioactivity based on a simple polymer, poly (ethyl acrylate) (PEA), and report its translation to a clinical veterinary setting. This polymer-based technology triggers spontaneous fibronectin organization and stimulates growth factor signaling, enabling synergistic integrin and BMP-2 receptor activation in mesenchymal stem cells. To translate this technology, we use plasma-polymerized PEA on 2D and 3D substrates to enhance cell signaling in vitro, showing the complete healing of a critical-size bone injury in mice in vivo. We demonstrate its safety and efficacy in a Münsterländer dog with a non-healing humerus fracture, establishing the clinical translation of advanced ultra-low-dose growth factor treatment.

Material-based strategies seek to engineer synthetic microenvironments that mimic the characteristics of physiological extracellular matrices for applications in regenerative therapies, including bone repair and regeneration. In our group, we identified a specific chemistry, poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA), able to induce the organization of fibronectin (FN), upon adsorption of the protein, into fibrillar networks similar to the physiological ones, leading to enhanced cellular response, in terms of cell adhesion and differentiation. In this work, we exploit these FN networks to capture and present growth factors (GF) in combination with the integrin binding domain of FN during bone tissue healing.

Fibrillar conformation of FN adsorbed on PEA favors the simultaneous availability of the GF binding domain (FNIII12–14) next to the integrin binding region (FNIII9–10), compared to poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA), a material with similar chemistry, where FN adopts a globular conformation. The combined exposure of specific adhesive sequences recognized by integrins and GF binding domains was found to improve the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. A higher expression of bone proteins was found when BMP2 is bound or sequestered on the material surface versus its administration in the culture media in vitro. The potential of this system as recruiter of GFs was also investigated in a critical-size bone segmental defect in mouse. The synergistic integrin-GF signalling, induced by fibrillar FN, promoted bone formation in vivo with lower BMP2 doses than current technologies. Furthermore, we optimized the system for its potential use in translational research, seeking to address the clinical need of using biocompatible and biodegradable material implants. Polycaprolactone scaffolds were synthesized and coated with a thin layer of plasma- polymerized PEA that recruits and efficiently presents GF during healing of critical size defects.

The material-driven FN fibrillogenesis provides a new strategy to efficiently reduce the GF doses administrated in bone regenerative therapies.

Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) has been increasingly employed as biomaterials for trauma, orthopeadic, and spinal implants. However, concern has been raised about the inertness of PEEK which limits bone integration. In this study, we have coated PEEK with a functional material seeking to promote osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC).

We have used spray drying to coat poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA) as a coating on PEEK. This technique is simple, allows a range of controlled coating thicknesses (from hundred nm to a few um), cost effective and easily translatable to scaffolds or implant surfaces for existing or new orthopaedic applications. PEA induces the organisation of fibronectin (FN) into nanonetworks upon simple adsorption from protein solutions. These FN nanonetworks on PEA represent a microenvironment for efficient growth factor binding and presentation in very low but effective doses. In this study we show cell adhesion and stem cell differentiation towards an osteogenic lineages when bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) was adsorbed on these engineered PEEK/PEA/FN microenvironments in very low doses.

Overall, the developed functional coatings on PEEK has the potential to allow the translation of this material into orthopaedic applications.

Control of stem cell fate and function is critical for clinical and academic work. By combining surface chemistry-driven extracellular matrix (ECM) assembly with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) we are developing a system which can be used to regulate the behaviour of MSCs. The conformation of the ECM glycoprotein fibronectin (Fn) is different when adsorbed onto poly methylacrylate (PMA) where it is globular, and on poly ethylacrylate (PEA) where it forms a physiologically-similar network^[1] (Fig. 1). Using these polymers to govern Fn conformation, we are developing a 3D system incorporating MSC-responsive growth factors (GFs) and bone marrow MSCs capable of regulating MSC behaviour.

Toluene-dissolved PMA and PEA were spin coated onto glass coverslips before solvent extraction in vacuo and UV sterilisation. 20 mg ml⁻¹ human plasma FN was adsorbed onto the surfaces followed by 25 ng ml⁻¹ recombinant human BMP2/VEGF. FN conformations were characterised by atomic force microscopy (AFM). A collagen hydrogel was placed above the substrate. Adult human bone marrow STRO-1+ were cultured on the substrates for 3 weeks in supplemented DMEM. Expression of MSC stemness and HSC maintenance factors were analysed by In-Cell Western assay.

To establish the best combination of polymer/FN/GF, MSC stemness markers (ALCAM, NESTIN and STRO1), osteogenic differentiation markers (OCN and OPN) and bone marrow markers (SCF and VCAM1) were measured in MSCs cultured for 3-weeks on substrates. OCN, SCF, and VCAM1 expression was enhanced across all combinations compared to glass control, while for ALCAM/STRO1/NESTIN and OPN, PEA combinations enhanced their expression. PEA + FN + VEGF appeared to be system best suited to maintaining MSC stemness and supporting expression of osteogenesis markers and bone marrow markers.

We have shown that MSCs maintain their stem cells state and express high levels of SCF and VCAM-1 when cultured on PEA with adsorbed Fn and VEGF or BMP2. Next stages of this work will use PCR to verify results and analyse expression of other MSC markers to develop a role for these synthetic polymers as biomaterials.