Professor Conor Buckley

IVD degeneration affects 619 million people globally (projected 843 million by 2050), costing €2.-€8 billion annually in Europe. No approved therapy restores native disc biology or mechanics. iDISC is an injectable, acellular hydrogel combining decellularised ECM, gelatin, and chondroitin sulphate for minimally invasive regenerative repair of early- to mid-stage IVD degeneration. Preclinical data demonstrate high cell viability, enhanced GAG and collagen type II deposition, and in vivo preservation of disc height and downregulation of inflammatory markers in a caprine model. A patent has been filed (EP25187946.6, 7 July 2025). The objective of this award is to assess commercial feasibility and identify key tasks for continued investment.

Surgical training plays a crucial role in preparing surgeons for complex procedures using medical devices. Traditional surgical training methods often rely on cadavers and animal models with associated ethical challenges. The development of biomimetic vessels, which accurately mimic human structure and function, has the potential to enhance surgical training by providing a more realistic and ethical alternative.

Due to a growing active aging population and the increased incidence of global diseases wound repair remains a significant challenge in clinical settings, necessitating innovative approaches to develop advanced wound care products and enhance healing outcomes. This proposal seeks to investigate the potential of human origin biomaterials to biofabricate wound care products leveraging the intrinsic properties of platelet lysates such as cytokine factors to promote healing and the antimicrobial activity of keratin-derived biomaterials for infection control.

Lower back pain is a global epidemiological and socioeconomic problem. This project envisions a future whereby patients with degenerated intervertebral discs are injected with a self-healing biomimetic adhesive biomaterial which can restore both the biochemical and biomechanical properties to native tissue levels. Current surgical procedures do not replace herniated tissue from the central nucleus pulposus or repair the annulus fibrosus (outer ring of tissue), which can lead to accelerated degeneration, reherniation and recurrent pain. Spinal fusion, whereby the compromised or degenerated tissue is removed, and the vertebral segments are fused together, does not restore biomechanical function leading to degeneration of adjacent discs with long-term failure rates as high as 40%. My lab has developed a biomimetic injectable hydrogel (iDISC) consisting of the main components (collagen and chondroitin sulfate) of native disc tissue that can be tailored to match the biochemical and biomechanical properties of native disc tissue. In addition, the iDISC hydrogel demonstrates self-healing and adhesive properties to facilitate tissue integration and exhibits excellent cell biocompatibility. The objective of this proposal is to perform in depth in vitro characterisation (WP1), multiaxial biomechanical testing (WP2), pre-clinical evaluation (WP3) and marketing and commercialisation evaluation (WP4). The development of these injectable biomimetic hydrogel systems may facilitate earlier interventions aimed at halting the degenerative process, restore natural biomechanical function, enhancing patient accessibility, improving quality of life, reduce healthcare expenses and lost productivity in the European Union. The platform technology and knowledge generated through this research are beyond the current state-of-the-art and will provide a significant transformative scientific and clinical step change opening new horizons in minimally invasive spine treatment strategies.

The proposal REGENEU aims to meet the requirements of the HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-03-01: Twinning Call. The main focus of this project is to increase the scientific capabilities and excellence of NEU in the field of biofiber research and development for translational application. This target is supported by European partners TLC-RT (Germany), TERM (Germany) and AMBER of the University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin (Ireland).