In this project we propose the preparation and evaluation of bioceramics based on mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBG) to address one health problem that currently constitutes an unmet clinical need. This is the improvement of the treatment of leukemia through drug screening.
The challenge we want to address is the preparation of humanized matrices for drug screening in the treatment of leukemia. One of the main challenges in the field of hematological neoplasia, and more specifically in leukemia, is the difficulty in choosing an appropriate treatment since there are no in vivo or in vitro models that mimic the environment in which these diseases develop. By preparing macroporous scaffolds made of MBG, humanized matrices can be designed for the pharmacological screening of hematological neoplasia. The ability of mesoporous bioactive glasses to develop an apatite-like phase similar to the mineral component of bone, should serve as a substrate on which to mimic the hematopoietic niche (HN), incorporating endothelial, mesenchymal, osteoblastic and, finally, leukemic cells. The hypothesis we want to demonstrate is that these matrices will be effective tools to carry out drug screening in the treatment of leukemia.
Specifically, the proposal includes the design and preparation of scaffolds capable of simulating trabecular bone and combining them with another spongy biomaterial that simulates bone marrow, thus devising a 3D system with the capacity to host different cell types that make up the HN, such as HUVEC and mesenchymal cells (perivascular niche) as well as osteoblasts (endosteum niche).