Group t and Beijing Jiaotong university open International ... - Groep T

Dr. Inge Holsbeeks,
manager of the
Life Technology unit.
Researcher in the spotlight
Engineering to the bone
Tissue engineering is the research domain where engineers, biologists and surgeons meet. It is a
combination of cells, engineering, material sciences and biochemical and physiochemical elements with
the purpose of relieving biological functions but also repairing or replacing damaged tissues like bone.
The latter is what Dr. Inge Holsbeeks, manager of the Life Technology unit, deals with. She is a member of
the Prometheus research group and deals with growing full bone tissue out of bone cells in the controlled
environment of a bioreactor.
Tissue engineering is a true multidisciplinary
domain,” Inge explains. “One of the most
common definitions describes it as ‘the application
of the principles of engineering and life
sciences toward the development of biological substitutes
that restore, maintain, or improve tissue function
or a whole organ’. The starting point is that using the
natural biology of an organ or body part offers more
chances of success for the replacement, the recovery,
maintenance or improvement of it than other methods.
In other words, if you understand how tissues grow and
develop themselves, then you can apply these insights
to producing new tissue for clinical use. It is no coincidence
that tissue engineering is often named together
with regenerative medicine although this comparison
is not entirely valid. In regenerative medicine for
instance, there is a greater use of stem cells, while tissue
engineering mostly works with existing, already
functional cells as engineering material.”
Smart mechanisms
From a young age, Inge’s interest was in sciences,
biology in particular appealed to her but so did
engineering. Her study choice, then, was obvious:
Bioengineering at the K.U.Leuven, majoring in Cell
and Gene Biotechnology. Her thesis dealt with making
banana plants resistant to viruses and infections
by introducing an extra gene. “Very interesting
research,” Inge says. “Only it is a long time before
you see any results. Transforming cells takes time. It
is mainly waiting for a mature plant.”
After graduation, Inge remained associated with the
Bioengineering faculty as an assistant. In the framework
of her Ph.D., she researches how bakers’ yeast
can detect nutrients in its vicinity. “These are really
smart mechanisms that are able to trace nutritious
components like amino acids or nitrogen components
before they are absorbed. In other words, they anticipate
and do not simply react to what presents itself.”
Research focus points
In 2004, Inge obtained her doctoral degree at the K.U.
Leuven. That same year, she started at GROUP T as an
assistant in the Life Technology unit. “I arrived at the
right moment,” she continues. “The University College
in general and the Life Technology unit, in particular,
in the framework of the forthcoming academization,
had started with the systematic expansion of
scientific research. This assignment was given to Prof.
Ingrid Ilsbroux who was promoted from manager of
my unit to Associate Dean Innovation. In consultation
with the K.U. Leuven, GROUP T defined a number of
so-called research focus points. For the Life Technology
unit that became Tissue Engineering with a focus
on the repair or the replacement of bones.”
Together with her colleagues Prof. Paul Hellings,
Saartje Impens, Luc Janssens and Tina Theys, Inge
started with the expansion of this research group at
GROUP T. “Mind you, we are not doing this alone,”
she clarifies. “We are part of Prometheus which is a
multidisciplinary research platform in which also the
faculties of Medicine, Engineering and Bioengineering
are involved. The surgeons are responsible for the
clinical part, the engineers for, among other things,
designing tools to set bones and developing carriers
to apply bone cells.”
Biological and non-biological
“Also within GROUP T, we have divided the tasks
clearly,” Inge relates. “Tina and Paul do the modulating,
using computer models to examine how bone
grows in order to be able to guide the processes,
while Saartje and I focus on the bioreactor research. A
bioreactor is a controlled biologically active environment
in which cells can grow to establish tissue that
can replace or repair bone. The cells are introduced
to a culture so that they can be applied to a carrier at
a subsequent stage. This may be calcium-based material
or it may also be inert titanium. This combined
application of biological and non-biological elements
is one of the most important characteristics of tissue
engineering.”
The research of Inge’s group is still in a preclinical
phase. In other words, the results are not yet used
in surgical practice. “We are indeed still working on
the bioreactor design,” Inge confirms. “This is pretty
complex engineering. Our results must, after all, be
optimally tuned to clinical use. It involves many different
disciplines: biology and biochemistry obviously,
but also electronics for the sensors, IT for programming
the reactor, etc. Engineers who want to
work in a multidisciplinary environment can do their
own thing here.”
Research and education
Inge combines her research work with an education
assignment. She has taken on a number of biology
courses from the first bachelor year to the master program,
supervises projects and is responsible for coaching
of master’s theses. In the meantime, she has also
succeeded Prof. Ilsbroux as the manager of the Life
Technology unit. It is a continuous challenge to apply
for new projects to continue financing the ongoing
research and, if possible, to expand it. “So I am very
happy that our master students join in the fray,” she
says. “Zhou Xiaochua, a motivated Chinese senior in
Biochemical Engineering, is conducting research in the
framework of her two-year master path. Also Maarten
Sonnaert, a Biochemistry master student at GROUP T,
is applying for a Ph.D. scholarship. We have clearly not
reached the peak of our potential yet.”
Y.P.
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
9
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010