# A Novel Glycosaminoglycan Mimetic Scaffold for Cartilage Repair - diversity supplement

> **NIH NIH R01** · NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2021 · $65,443

## Abstract

Project Summary
 With the limited healing capability of articular cartilage, clinical intervention is necessary to prevent
further articular cartilage damage and early onset of degenerative osteoarthritis. Current surgical
procedures result in inadequate repair suffering from poor integration with surrounding hyaline cartilage
and the formation of fibrocartilage instead of normal hyaline cartilage. The most frequently used reparative
treatment for small symptomatic lesions of articular cartilage of the knee is microfracturing, where multiple
holes are made in the subchondral bone allowing stem cells from the bone marrow to migrate to the joint
surface and facilitate repair. However, in the long-term, this method does not result in the replacement of
normal hyaline cartilage. The approach described here is to combine the surgical treatment of
microfracturing, which will provide endogenous cells capable of chondrogenesis to the defect site, with a
novel scaffold that mimics the cartilage extracellular matrix during development to promote
chondrogenesis and cartilage tissue formation. During cartilage development, the major matrix
components are collagens and proteoglycans, wherein the predominant glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in
the proteoglycans are chondroitin-6-sulfate and heparin sulfate. The pattern and degree of sulfation in
these and other GAGs play an integral role in providing the necessary functionality/bioactivity for growth
factor interactions in cartilage development. Typical synthetic biomaterials lack functional sites that would
enable this interaction. This study will investigate a novel, semi-synthetic derivative of cellulose, which is
one of the most abundant natural materials. Sodium cellulose sulfate (NaCS), which is water soluble and
mimics the structure of GAG, will be fabricated into a scaffold and combined with microfracturing as a
novel strategy for cartilage repair. In our studies to date, fully sulfated NaCS has shown promise in
promoting chondrogenesis and accelerating the repair of osteochondral defects. We hypothesize that
NaCS will impart functional qualities that are similar to GAGs, direct chondrogenesis and cartilage tissue
formation. In the proposed supplement, two specific aims will be addressed that complement the ongoing
studies in the parent grant. Aim 1 will Investigate chondrogenesis on NaCS-containing scaffolds and
scaffold integration in vitro. The goal of this aim is to evaluate cartilage tissue formation and integration
with surrounding host cartilage in a cartilage explant model. Aim 2 will investigate in vitro chondrogenesis
and scaffold integration in physiologically-relevant conditions using a microfluidic device. Findings will also
provide further mechanistic understanding of the NaCS containing scaffolds in repairing cartilage lesions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10406732
- **Project number:** 3R01AR077056-01A1S1
- **Recipient organization:** NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Treena Lynne Arinzeh
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $65,443
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-06-01 → 2026-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10406732

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10406732, A Novel Glycosaminoglycan Mimetic Scaffold for Cartilage Repair - diversity supplement (3R01AR077056-01A1S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10406732. Licensed CC0.

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