Neurotrophin signalling in Mesenchymal Stem Cell differentiation.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigation of the neurotrophin receptor p75-NTR molecular function in the differentiation of multi-potent mesenchymal stem cells towards bone and cartilage.
IRAS ID
230993
Contact name
Athina Mylona
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Canterbury Christ Church University
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 2 months, 29 days
Research summary
Our work is focused on mesenchymal stem cells that can generate bone cells (osteocytes) and cartilage cells (chondrocytes) and are located within the spongy bone at the ends of long bones and in the bone marrow. Mesenchymal stem cells make up a heterogeneous group of cells and can be divided into more homogeneous subgroups based on cell membrane proteins. One such protein is the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75-NTR) which functions as a receiver of chemical signals in the form of protein ligand molecules that are recognised and bound by the receptor. Currently p75-NTR is used to identify true mesenchymal stem cells that can generate bone and cartilage in a cell culture environment (in vitro) and in model animals (in vivo), however its precise function in this processes is not well understood.
Our main objective is to investigate the role of p75-NTR in mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and the generation of bone or cartilage cells. We believe that our study will potentially reveal key steps in this biological process and our findings will be utilised for the development of treatment approaches aimed at bone or cartilage damage due to degeneration or injury.
In order to achieve our research objective we will require a regular supply of primary human mesenchymal stem cells. For this purpose we aim to use femur heads removed during hip replacement operations, which are considered waste material, in order to isolate mesenchymal stem cells for our planned experiments. These will be obtained from planned surgeries at the Darent Valley Hospital, Kent (Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust). Potential participants will be recruited with the help of orthopaedic surgeons from the Canterbury Christ Church University, Institute of Medical Sciences, who will perform the operations.REC name
London - Chelsea Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/1015
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jun 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion