Knowledge & technology platform
Prometheus has access to a broad infrastructure, which supports the technology platform, ranging from cell culture, materials production and characterisation, computer modelling, medical imaging, in vivo models, histological analysis to bioreactors and an animal facility.
The K.U.Leuven scientists involved in Prometheus are internationally known in their field of research. Through the collaborative efforts an international track record in TE has been developed, which is confirmed by international peer-reviewed publications and disseminations at TE conferences. Through Prometheus, the foundations for skeletal TE in Flanders are set, but it is also the aim to bring this approach to a European level. In this regard the first actions were taken by Prof. F.P. Luyten being the Belgian member of the Steering Committee of the Regenerative Medicine Research Networking Programme (REMEDIC, 2008-2013) of the European Science Foundation, a programme set out to define the standards for regenerative medicine in Europe.
For know-how and technology that is not available within the K.U.Leuven, Prometheus sets up strategic agreements with third parties. On the basic research level the Prometheus partners collaborate, via mainly K.U.Leuven, FWO or IWT projects, together with other K.U.Leuven research groups or with external scientific and/or industrial actors.
To bring bone tissue engineering (TE) from the lab to clinical practice, up scaling, reproducibility, quantification, quality control, surgical training and economic feasibility are all parameters that should be included from the start of this research. To meet the market demand in a later stage, bone TE research needs to be linked to the European regulations for “Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP)” that also include the human bone TE products.
In a first phase clinically relevant in vitro and in vivo screening tools for the quantitative evaluation of potential bone growth stimulating compounds (cells, signalling molecules, materials/coatings and drugs) will be developed. In a second phase these tools will be used to produce and valorise bone TE concepts.