When Gene Therapy Meets Cell Therapy: Applications In Bone Tissue Engineering

Presentation type: (A) Oral presentation

When Gene Therapy Meets Cell Therapy: Applications in Bone Tissue Engineering

Yu-Chen Hu^{1, 2}

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan

² Institute of Biomedical Engineering

*E-mail: ³\2011\Attachments_2011_07_28\ychu@mx.nthu.edu.tw">ychu@mx.nthu.edu.tw

Baculovirus is an effective vector for gene delivery into various mammalian cells and has been employed for a variety of applications. We have demonstrated that baculovirus also efficiently transduce mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow and adipose tissues. Transduction of stem cells with recombinant baculovirus expressing growth factors can modulate cellular differentiation state and stimulate the extracellular matrix synthesis and tissue formation. Implantation of genetically modified stem cells into the massive segmental bone defects successfully improved the angiogenesis and accelerated the segmental bone repair at the femora and calvaria of New Zealand White rabbits, as demonstrated by X-ray radiography, positron emission tomography, micro computed tomography, immunohistochemical staining and biomechanical testing. This presentation focuses on how baculovirus-mediated gene delivery aids in the bone regeneration and recent progresses.