Ph.D. Dorota Kolbuk Konieczny from our group is the laureate of the call LIDER National Centre for Research and Development.
Health and mental benefits of sports activities cannot be overestimated. Depending on the age and capabilities: running, crossFit, football, skiing, squash and others are practiced, even if the only reason is fashionable. However, every year thousands of children under 15 years old and young woman in their 40’s have problems with knee ligament rapture. It is hard to imagine how painful physically it can be. Current treatment of knee injuries is not as effective as it could be, of course. The percentage of full recovery is relatively low and consequences of re-rupture are painful and expensive for the patient and health insurance system, respectively. The aim of material science engineers, biologists and physicians is to help people with a knee ligament injury.
Ligaments transfer forces from one bone to another and provide joint stability. Ligaments are strong bands of connective tissue and their role is also to connect the bones outside of joints, giving stability to the skeletal system. An example of ligaments may be cruciate ligaments of the knee (ACL), further divided into front and rear.
The project involves the development of a biodegradable scaffold for regeneration of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Using the knowledge of materials science, mechanics, biology and medicine, a hybrid scaffold will be developed. It will be characterized by the allograft’s architecture, structure, chemical, and mechanical properties biomimetic. The innovative scaffold would allow ligament regeneration and re-modeling in place of scaffold fixation in the long term.
An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is among those most vulnerable to injury. This ligament is attached to the inner surface of the lateral femoral condyle and extends obliquely downward. The final trailer ligament is located in the front of the tibia. During daily physical activities and sports activities, ligaments are vulnerable to injuries and damage. The injuries occur frequently, and many of them are eligible for orthopedic treatment. Ligament damages can be divided into three categories. Each group requires a different method of treatment. In the case of III group of injuries- complete rupture of the ligament, treatment consisting in grafts reconstruction is needed.
