Magnetic 3D Tissue Engineering: Understanding Tendon Regeneration and Advancing Musculoskeletal Tumor Modelling and Therapy
Time
9:00 AM, March 30, 2027 (Porto, Portugal)4:00 PM, March 30, 2027 (Beijing, China)
Zoom Meeting Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84010968644?pwd=CI2bzCYbZt0u1TaIQRShjyQKQ3FOcY.1
Meeting ID: 840 1096 8644
Passcode: 332349
Contact Us
Email: bmehjournal@sciexplor.comSpeaker
Prof. Manuela E. Gomes
Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine (UMIB), School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
ITR - Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, Porto, Portugal.
ITR - Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, Porto, Portugal.
Prof. Gomes is a Professor and Codirector of the Bioengineering Program at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS) of the University of Porto and Leader of the Research Group on Regenerative Medicine and 3D Tissue Modelling.
Her research interests focus on tissue engineering strategies using magnetic stimulus for the development of anisotropic scaffold materials and bioinks to trigger stem cells differentiation and/or to modulate inflammation, particularly for tendon regeneration. She has led several projects in these topics, including 2 ERC Grants. Currently, her team is exploring similar concepts in the development of advanced 3D musculoskeletal tumours and models. As a result of her research, she has a total of 350 indexed publications, that have received over 12,000 citations (Web of Science).
Prof. Gomes is a Fellow of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (FTERM) and Fellow of International Orthopaedic Research (FIOR). She is the present Chair of the TERMIS- EU and Ambassador to Portugal of the EORS.
Her research interests focus on tissue engineering strategies using magnetic stimulus for the development of anisotropic scaffold materials and bioinks to trigger stem cells differentiation and/or to modulate inflammation, particularly for tendon regeneration. She has led several projects in these topics, including 2 ERC Grants. Currently, her team is exploring similar concepts in the development of advanced 3D musculoskeletal tumours and models. As a result of her research, she has a total of 350 indexed publications, that have received over 12,000 citations (Web of Science).
Prof. Gomes is a Fellow of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (FTERM) and Fellow of International Orthopaedic Research (FIOR). She is the present Chair of the TERMIS- EU and Ambassador to Portugal of the EORS.
Introduction
One of the most significant advances emerging from the field of tissue engineering is the ability to apply its principles and technologies, originally developed for generating tissue substitutes, to create miniaturized tissue models. In recent years, these approaches have been extensively explored to develop physiologically relevant three-dimensional (3D) models capable of elucidating disease mechanisms and improving the evaluation of novel therapeutic strategies with greater predictive accuracy. This is particularly relevant for tissues that currently lack effective regenerative therapies, such as tendon and/or diseases which have been poorly investigated, such as some musculoskeletal malignancies. In either case, progress has been hindered by the lack of predictive preclinical models that accurately reproduce tissue physiology and disease progression/treatment resistance, respectively.
Our team has been focusing on the use of magnetic tissue engineering strategies for recreating the anisotropy and specific biomechanical cues of native tendon tissues to promote tenogenesis and maturation of bioengineered tendon constructs and also to address unanswered questions in tendon physiology and pathophysiology. Similar approaches are being used for developing 3D magnetic spheroids as advanced musculoskeletal tumor models to investigate resistance mechanisms and identify potential therapeutic targets, with emphasis on mechanotransduction pathways involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and ECM remodeling.
Our findings demonstrate that 3D magnetic spheroids combined with magnetic actuation can more faithfully reproduce the biomechanical properties of the TME and the associated mechanotransduction processes that influence ECM stiffness and drug penetration. This strategy provides an innovative platform for studying, evaluating, and ultimately modulating the biomechanical factors that contribute to cancer progression and resistance to therapy.
