Overview
This multi-disciplinary project is intended to unravel new approaches for the AI-guided delivery of therapeutics to the brain tissue. Due to the impossibility of assessing the safety and efficacy of therapeutics for brain diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease) and trauma (e.g., accidental damages), there is an increasing need for the fabrication of brain tissue replicas that might emulate the physiological conditions within the human body. The engineer of a three-dimensional patient-specific brain construct is attractive, particularly for the possible assessment of functionality for delivery methodologies such as hydrogel-mediated injections.
The main aim of this project is to address an urgent unmet clinical need to develop a novel 3D bioprinted brain construct to be used as platform for delivery testing due to AI-driven injections of click hydrogels loaded with therapeutics and the study of release, localisation, safety and efficacy.
Objectives
- Design and fabricate anatomically and physiologically relevant brain tissue models using 3D bioprinting techniques.
- Incorporate key cellular and extracellular matrix components to mimic human brain microenvironment.
- Implement artificial intelligence algorithms to guide the delivery of click hydrogel-based therapeutics with spatial and temporal precision.
- Simulate and adapt injection strategies based on construct geometry and therapeutic distribution predictions.
Collaboration & Impact
This project is a partnership between:
- The THRIVE Centre at the University of West London
- The Nanotechnologies for neurosciences (N4N), Italian Institute of Technology, Dr Cidonio