Feasibility phase

Tendons and ligaments are an essential part of the musculoskeletal system. Torn tendons and ligaments often result from sports injuries and accidents. The anterior cruciate ligament is of particular clinical relevance. The current gold standard in treatment is the use of so-called autologous implants. In this procedure, the patient‘s own tissue is removed from another site and transplanted. However, this has some risks and disadvantages, including the frequent re-rupture of the replaced cruciate ligament and the damage that occurs at the donor site. Synthetic cruciate ligament implants have hardly been used to date due to unsuitable mechanical properties and a lack of long-term stability. The LigaBraid project team aims to solve this problem through the innovative field of tissue engineering.This involves developing carrier materials (scaffolds) that temporarily take over the tissue function and are colonised by body cells over time. During the period when the tissue is being regenerated by the colonised cells, the carrier material is slowly broken down (resorbed) by the body.

Regenerative Solutions for Cruciate Ligament Injuries

The LigaBraid-2 project is investigating long-term resorbable, braided scaffolds as a complete replacement for the anterior cruciate ligament and as a temporary reinforcement for damaged cruciate ligaments. The aim is to achieve complete healing without restricting function, which is usually not possible with current methods. To this end, the material properties will first be optimised and finally a proof-of-concept will be carried out until proof of efficacy is provided in a large animal model.

Conceptual phase

Tendons and ligaments are an essential part of the musculoskeletal system. Ruptures of these parts of the body are often sports injuries or the result of accidents. The most common current method of treatment is the use of autologous grafts. In this case the body’s own ligament is removed from another location and transplanted to replace it in the injured area. Deficiencies of this method are the limited availability, the surgical injury at the donor site and the associated additional pain for patients.

In this project a tissue engineering approach aims to develop a replacement structure for ligaments and vision that restores function. A cell carrier structure (scaffold) is developed for this purpose, which temporarily takes over the tissue function and is broken down by the body while cells settle and the tissue is regenerated. The scaffold is made of a new degradable and braided material to replicate the natural structure and optimal design for tensile stress. In the exploratory phase a concept for the best possible recycling of the belt replacement is to be developed. To this end an IP strategy is to be developed, the market and competition will be analysed and an implementation plan for the subsequent feasibility phase will be drawn up.

Detailed information about all phase 4 projects