The Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation has awarded 9.2 million euros in grants to ten projects in technology, other scientific fields, and culture. The applications were high quality, and this round saw a particular emphasis on chemistry and medical engineering in the applications.
The largest grant – 1.57 million euros – was awarded to the research group led by Associate Professor Isaac Afara at the Department of Technical Physics at the University of Eastern Finland. The group aims to grow personalized cartilage tissue in the laboratory to improve treatment for osteoarthritis. In addition to Professor Afara, the group includes Professor Rami Korhonen from the Department of Technical Physics and Professor Susanna Miettinen from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology at the Tampere University.
The four-year project Novel photonics sensing approach for monitoring, modelling and controlling tissue growth in a bioreactor: towards personalized cartilage tissue engineering (M2C) introduces a novel approach to cartilage tissue engineering by overcoming a key limitation of current methods: the lack of control over tissue development and functional properties. By integrating in situ photonic sensing with biomechanical modelling, project enables continuous monitoring, modelling, and optimization of cartilage growth in a bioreactor.
The project integrates biophotonics, tissue engineering, biomechanics, and data science expertise through European collaboration. This multidisciplinary framework supports the development of predictive, data-driven tissue growth models and enables the creation of personalised cartilage grafts with native-like properties. Ultimately, the project advances regenerative cartilage repair and transferable tissue engineering methodologies.
Source: Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation
