Biomaterials taming neutrophils for healthy inflammation (BEAN)

Background

Neutrophils are the first immune cells recruited to the sites of injury, inflammation, or infection, and play a major role in the innate immune response upon implantation of biomaterials. They are very sensitive to environmental changes; therefore, the physical and chemical properties of biomaterials could have an influence on the activation of neutrophils. Investigating and understanding the interactions between biomaterials and neutrophils is crucial to establish design principles for biomaterials to provide an immune response fostering tissue repair and regeneration.

Goal

The purpose of this project is to establish how biomaterial composition, mechanical properties, and topographical features influence neutrophils inflammatory profile and phagocytic activity. In a broader context, with this project we are aiming to contribute towards establishing principles on how to design biomaterials priming a neutrophil response avoiding chronic inflammation.

Schematic overview of the investigation on neutrophil and biomaterial interactions to establish design principles for the appropriate immune response inducing healthy tissue repair and regeneration.

Results

The preliminary results of this study indicate that the surface composition and topography could have an impact on neutrophil metabolic activity, further investigation is required to understand the regulatory effects of neutrophils on tissue repair and regeneration.

A) Metabolic activity of neutrophils represented as arbitrary fluorescence units over time on different material surfaces, B) LDH release by neutrophils cultured on different material surfaces represented as percent cytotoxicity.

Publication

Wesdorp MA, Schwab A, Bektas EI, Narcisi R, Eglin D, Stoddart MJ, et al. A culture model to analyze the acute biomaterial-dependent reaction of human primary neutrophils in vitro. Bioact Mater. 2023;20:627-37.

Isik M, Okesola BO, Eylem CC, Kocak E, Nemutlu E, Emregul E, D'Este M, Derkus B. Tuning the cell-adhesive properties of two-component hybrid hydrogels to modulate cancer cell behavior, metastasis, and death pathways. Biomacromolecules. 2022;23(10):4254-67. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00733
Presentation

Bektas EI, Miklosic G, Wychowaniec JK, D'Este M. Evaluating the role of protein coatings in modulating neutrophil activation on 3D printed PCL scaffolds. 2023 ESB (Biomaterials) / (oral)

Bektas EI, Wesdorp MA, Schwab A, Stoddart MJ, Mata A, van Osch GJVM, D'Este M. Towards understanding how neutrophil instruct the immune response to biomaterials. 2023 EORS (oral)
Partner

Swiss Institute for Asthma and Allergy, SIAF, Davos