Development of a human spinal cord Microgel-based MOdel from Regulated polyPHOSphoesters

• Applicant: Professorin Dr.-Ing. Laura De Laporte
• Subject Area: Biomaterials ; Cell Biology
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 568994582

The project Spinal MMORPHOS aims to develop an in vitro spinal cord tissue model to establish a spinal cord injury model with different levels of complexity to test our patented regenerative therapy ‘Anisogel’ ex vivo. To achieve this, we will develop a polyphosphoester (PPE)-based molecular platform to produce spherical or rod-shaped microgels of controlled mechanical and (bio)chemical properties, degradation rates, and magnetic responsivity using parallelized droplet microfluidics. These microgels will be assembled by induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to create a microporous annealed particle (MAP) 3D construct for tissue growth. The PPE copolymers can be varied (e.g., architecture, molecular weight, functional groups) during the synthesis to later control the microgel properties that will govern the MAP scaffold formation and its interaction with cells. Since a lot of parameters can be modified, a high-throughput screening platform will be used, consisting of an automated liquid handling system, robotic arm, incubator and high-content confocal microscope. We will investigate a wide variety of PPE microgels in MAPs and media conditions to analyze stem cell expansion and differentiation into spinal cord cell types. We also aim to guide neuron extension unidirectionally with magnetic-responsive microgels that align in low external fields to introduce anisotropy. The functionality of the formed tissue models will be confirmed by analyzing their ability to transmit electrical signals. In addition, we will study which porosity ensures diffusion of oxygen and nutrients in millimeter-scale constructs and whether the microgel network can be degraded and replaced by newly formed, perfusable blood vessels. Selected conditions will then be further used to create a larger spinal cord model, mimicking the dimensions of a rat spinal cord segment, and eventually achieve a spinal cord injury model.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Belgium
• Partner Organisation: Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique - FNRS
• Cooperation Partner: Professorin Dr. Christine Jérôme