The Università degli Studi di Pavia (UNIPV), acting as project coordinator, hosted the Kick-off Meeting of the European project TEN4CARE (Tendon Engineering for Comprehensive Advanced Rehabilitation and Enhancement). The project is an Innovation Action (HORIZON Innovation Actions) with a duration of 48 months, funded by the European Union under grant agreement number 101178590. The project is managed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA).
This project addresses the challenge of tendon and ligament injuries, which account for 50% of the approximately 33 million musculoskeletal injuries reported annually.
TEN4CARE proposes the development of an advanced medical device based on a 4D fibrous nanocomposite hydrogel with shape memory, sensitive to electromagnetic fields (EMF). This material, doped with magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) and a polypyrrole network, will enable:
- Implants using minimally invasive surgery (MIS)
- Programmed recovery at body temperature
- Improved structural properties, shape memory, antibacterial activity and regenerative capacity.
- Stimulation of tendon regeneration through mechanotransduction.
The project seeks to promote rapid recovery for acute or chronic conditions with the aim of reducing tissue healing time by at least 30%.
Biokeraltys role
Biokeralty, with funding of €597,500, plays a central and multifaceted role in the TEN4CARE project. It leads the management of communication, dissemination and stakeholder engagement (WP11 and WP12), being responsible for the creation of strategic plans, the project website and social media presence to maximise public impact and collaboration with diverse audiences.
Furthermore, in WP10, ‘Exploitation and pathways to commercialisation’, Biokeralty is an active partner in all tasks, contributing significantly to the development of the regulatory strategy, life cycle sustainability assessment, market analysis and business model definition, intellectual property protection, and cost-benefit analysis with pricing recommendations.
Together with the University of Pavia (UNIPV), BK co-leads crucial aspects of project coordination and management (WP13, WP14 and WP15), ensuring governance, scientific, technical and innovation management, as well as legal, privacy and ethical compliance.
Connect with the project: news, updates, and much more on our website and social media channels:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ten4care-horizon-europe-project
