cmRNAbone Goes Switzerland – A Look Ahead to the 2023 eCM21: Bone and Fracture Repair
With this year’s eCM21 around the corner (10-12 July), we have taken the opportunity to ask several members of the cmRNAbone research teams to tell us more about how the project will be represented at the conference.
Find the interviews with project coordinator Professor Martin Stoddart (AOF) and Dr Andrea Banfi (UNIBAS/USB) below.
We are looking forward to seeing you in Davos!
Professor Martin Stoddart
- What are the main cmRNAbone outputs or research results to be presented at the eCM conference?
Prof. Elizabeth R. Balmayor will be giving an Invited Keynote presentation on "cmRNA and its delivery for Bone regeneration", which will cover the fundamental biological concepts underpinning the cmRNAbone project. Complementing this presentation, Prof. Martijn M van Griensven will provide further details with his talk on how "miRNAs play a pivotal role in fracture healing". In addition, one of the cmRNAbone PhD candidates, Daphne van der Heide will be presenting her work on developing new bioinks with a talk titled "3D printed composite resembling natural bone by combining hyaluronan, collagen and calcium phosphate to promote bone regeneration".
- How can the cmRNAbone project benefit from the conference?
The conference is a small, single-session meeting specifically on bone and fracture repair. It is a multidisciplinary meeting that brings together experts from many fields, including orthopedic surgeons. This combination, with ample opportunities to interact, is an ideal platform for the cmRNAbone researchers to discuss their work, leading to excellent feedback and hopefully new ideas.
- How is the cmRNAbone research linked to the eCM topics?
The cmRNAbone project combines new bioinks with the delivery of chemically modified RNA to enhance bone repair and formation. These ideas are highly novel and have been well received by the eCM conference reviewers, as can be seen by the high number of oral presentations for such a small meeting.
Dr Andrea Banfi
- What are the main cmRNAbone outputs or research results to be presented at the eCM conference?
In my Keynote lecture, I will present the latest developments in a topic that is at the core of the cmRNAbone project, namely the crosstalk between blood vessels and bone cells for the harmonious coordination of angiogenesis and osteogenesis (i.e. the development of new blood vessels or bone) during bone regeneration. Of particular interest is one of the latest results we obtained in the context of cmRNAbone (recently published in npj Regenerative Medicine), where we found that it is possible to generate a specialised kind of blood vessel (type H) in engineered bone grafts that promote bone formation through signalling molecules and independently of their function to provide oxygen and nutrients.
- How can the cmRNAbone project benefit from the conference?
The conference gathers many leading experts on several aspects of bone repair (including some partners of the cmRNAbone consortium, of course!) and will therefore be an ideal occasion to exchange the latest findings and perspectives.
- How is the cmRNAbone research linked to the eCM topics?
The goal of the cmRNAbone project is to develop a kind of gene-activated matrix with the ability to stimulate bone formation, vascularisation and innervation in vitro: these are fundamental processes at the foundation of successful fracture repair. Therefore, the conference and the project share the same core topics and are a natural fit.