Platforms

Biomaterial scaffolds

Natural-polymer scaffolds engineered to reproduce extracellular-matrix structure, guide cell behaviour and support tissue repair.

Overview

About this research

Natural-polymer scaffolds engineered to reproduce extracellular-matrix structure, guide cell behaviour and support tissue repair.

People

Research team

Director of TERG · Professor of Bioengineering and Regenerative Medicine · Principal Investigator

Fergal O’Brien

Biomaterials · Tissue engineering · Regenerative medicine

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Deputy Director · Principal Investigator

Oran Kennedy

Bioengineering · Biomaterials · Biomechanics

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Principal Investigator

Caroline Curtin

Bio-nano interactions · Biomaterials · Gene delivery

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Senior Lecturer · Principal Investigator

Ciara Murphy

Biomaterials · Bioengineering · Bioinorganic ions

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Principal Investigator

Tom Hodgkinson

Bone and joint repair · Biomaterials · Gene delivery

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Senior Lecturer · Principal Investigator

Olga Piskareva

Biomaterials · Drug development · Drug resistance

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Principal Investigator

Shane Browne

Angiogenesis · Biomaterials · Gene delivery

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Outputs

Related publications

2026Biomaterials advancesFeatured

Laminin 1 enhances the angiogenic and neurogenic potential of collagen-based scaffolds for complex wound healing applications.

McGrath M, Palomeque-Chávez JC, O'Connor C, Maughan J, Dervan A, Browne S, O'Brien FJ

Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Skin and wound healing Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2026Bioactive materials

Scaffold-mediated miRNA-155 inhibition promotes regenerative macrophage polarisation leading to anti-inflammatory, angiogenic and neurogenic responses for wound healing.

Palomeque Chávez JC, Dobricic M, McGrath M, O'Connor C, McGuire T, Maughan J, Dervan A, Dixon JE, Kearney CJ, Browne S, O'Brien FJ

Gene-activated materials Antimicrobial and immunomodulatory materials Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Skin and wound healing Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2026Biomaterials

Advances in tissue engineering strategies for periodontal and endodontic regeneration: Current therapies and future trends for disease treatment and tissue repair in the oral cavity.

Sheehy EJ, Coffey N, Quigley RM, Duncan HF, Kennedy OD, O Brien FJ

Dental, maxillofacial and oral regeneration Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2026Bioactive materials

Development of a PTEN-siRNA activated scaffold to promote axonal regrowth following spinal cord injury.

McGuire TK, Stasiewicz M, O'Connor C, Woods I, Maughan J, Dobricic M, Brunetti G, Dixon JE, Dervan AG, O'Brien FJ

Gene-activated materials Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2025Advanced Healthcare MaterialsFeatured

Biomimetic Scaffolds Enhance iPSC Astrocyte Progenitor Angiogenic, Immunomodulatory, and Neurotrophic Capacity in a Stiffness and Matrix-Dependent Manner for Spinal Cord Repair Applications

Cian O’Connor, Ian Woods, Sarah F. McComish, Sean Kerr, Matthew McGrath, Juan Carlos Palomeque Chávez, Jack Maughan, Tara McGuire, Maeve A. Caldwell, Adrian Dervan and Fergal J. O’Brien

Biomaterial scaffolds Antimicrobial and immunomodulatory materials Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair

DOI Article

2025Biomaterials science

Development of a VEGF-activated scaffold with enhanced angiogenic and neurogenic properties for chronic wound healing applications.

Palomeque Chávez JC, McGrath M, O'Connor C, Dervan A, Dixon JE, Kearney CJ, Browne S, O'Brien FJ

Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Skin and wound healing Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2025Journal of anatomy

Neurotrophic extracellular matrix proteins promote neuronal and iPSC astrocyte progenitor cell- and nano-scale process extension for neural repair applications.

O'Connor C, Mullally RE, McComish SF, O'Sullivan J, Woods I, Schoen I, Garre M, Caldwell MA, Dervan A, O'Brien FJ

Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2025Biofabrication

Collagen silver-doped hydroxyapatite scaffolds reinforced with 3D printed frameworks for infection prevention and enhanced repair of load-bearing bone defects.

Genoud KJ, Sadowska JM, Power RN, Costard LS, Ryan EJ, Matherson AR, Gonzalez-Vazquez AG, Lemoine M, Eichholz K, Pitacco P, Chen G, Cavanagh B, Garcia O, Murphy CM, Curtin CM, Kelly DJ, O'Brien FJ

Biofabrication and 3D printing Antimicrobial and immunomodulatory materials Bone, cartilage, joint repair and PTOA Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2025Journal of functional biomaterials

Magnesium Ion-Mediated Regulation of Osteogenesis and Osteoclastogenesis in 2D Culture and 3D Collagen/Nano-Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds for Enhanced Bone Repair.

Paiva SS, Ferreira A, Pakenham E, Kaur K, Cavanagh B, O'Brien FJ, Murphy CM

Bone, cartilage, joint repair and PTOA Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2025International journal of biological macromolecules

A biomimetic reinforced type I/II collagen and hyaluronic acid scaffold in combination with a chondral biomaterial fixation technique for large articular cartilage defect repair: A pilot pre-clinical study.

Intini C, Joyce M, Uberti M, Labberté MC, Brunetti G, Hackett B, Hodgkinson T, O'Byrne JM, Brama PAJ, O'Brien FJ

Bone, cartilage, joint repair and PTOA Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2024Advanced Healthcare Materials

Mobilizing Endogenous Progenitor Cells Using pSDF1α-Activated Scaffolds Accelerates Angiogenesis and Bone Repair in Critical-Sized Bone Defects

Rosanne M. Raftery, Arlyng G. Gonzalez Vazquez, David P. Walsh, Gang Chen, Ashang L. Laiva, Michael B. Keogh and Fergal J. O’Brien

Biomaterial scaffolds Gene-activated materials Bone, cartilage, joint repair and PTOA

DOI Article

2024Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

A Multifunctional Scaffold for Bone Infection Treatment by Delivery of microRNA Therapeutics Combined With Antimicrobial Nanoparticles.

Sadowska JM, Power RN, Genoud KJ, Matheson A, González-Vázquez A, Costard L, Eichholz K, Pitacco P, Hallegouet T, Chen G, Curtin CM, Murphy CM, Cavanagh B, Zhang H, Kelly DJ, Boccaccini AR, O'Brien FJ

Gene-activated materials Antimicrobial and immunomodulatory materials Bone, cartilage, joint repair and PTOA Targeted therapeutic delivery Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2024Molecular biology reports

Extracellular matrix-inspired biomaterials for wound healing.

Hosty L, Heatherington T, Quondamatteo F, Browne S

Skin and wound healing Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2023ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

A Biomimetic, Bilayered Antimicrobial Collagen-Based Scaffold for Enhanced Healing of Complex Wound Conditions

Matthew McGrath, Karolina Zimkowska, Katelyn J. Genoud, Jack Maughan, Javier Gutierrez Gonzalez, Shane Browne and Fergal J. O’Brien

Biomaterial scaffolds Antimicrobial and immunomodulatory materials Skin and wound healing

DOI

2023Methods in Molecular Biology

Assessment of Cell Cytotoxicity in 3D Biomaterial Scaffolds Following miRNA Transfection

Elizabeth Sainsbury, Lara Costard, Fergal J. O’Brien and Caroline M. Curtin

Biomaterial scaffolds Gene-activated materials Advanced disease models

DOI Article

2023Acta biomaterialia

Dual scaffold delivery of miR-210 mimic and miR-16 inhibitor enhances angiogenesis and osteogenesis to accelerate bone healing.

Castaño IM, Raftery RM, Chen G, Cavanagh B, Quinn B, Duffy GP, Curtin CM, O'Brien FJ

Bone, cartilage, joint repair and PTOA Targeted therapeutic delivery Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2023Current protocols

The Manufacture and Characterization of Biomimetic, Biomaterial-Based Scaffolds for Studying Physicochemical Interactions of Neural Cells in 3D Environments.

O'Connor C, Woods I, Hibbitts A, Dervan A, O'Brien FJ

Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Medical devices and implants Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2023Biomaterials

Development of miR-26a-activated scaffold to promote healing of critical-sized bone defects through angiogenic and osteogenic mechanisms.

Sadowska JM, Ziminska M, Ferreira C, Matheson A, Balouch A, Bogle J, Wojda S, Redmond J, Elkashif A, Dunne N, McCarthy HO, Donahue S, O'Brien FJ

Bone, cartilage, joint repair and PTOA Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2022Advanced healthcare materials

Biomimetic Scaffolds for Spinal Cord Applications Exhibit Stiffness-Dependent Immunomodulatory and Neurotrophic Characteristics.

Woods I, O'Connor C, Frugoli L, Kerr S, Gutierrez Gonzalez J, Stasiewicz M, McGuire T, Cavanagh B, Hibbitts A, Dervan A, O'Brien FJ

Antimicrobial and immunomodulatory materials Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2022Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)

Highly Porous Type II Collagen-Containing Scaffolds for Enhanced Cartilage Repair with Reduced Hypertrophic Cartilage Formation.

Intini C, Hodgkinson T, Casey SM, Gleeson JP, O'Brien FJ

Bone, cartilage, joint repair and PTOA Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2022Biomaterials science

Articulation inspired by nature: a review of biomimetic and biologically active 3D printed scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering.

O'Shea DG, Curtin CM, O'Brien FJ

Biofabrication and 3D printing Bone, cartilage, joint repair and PTOA Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2021Polymers

3D-Printed Gelatin Methacrylate Scaffolds with Controlled Architecture and Stiffness Modulate the Fibroblast Phenotype towards Dermal Regeneration.

R Ibañez RI, do Amaral RJFC, Reis RL, Marques AP, Murphy CM, O'Brien FJ

Hydrogels Biofabrication and 3D printing Skin and wound healing Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2021Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE

Three-dimensional In Vitro Biomimetic Model of Neuroblastoma using Collagen-based Scaffolds.

Gallagher C, Murphy C, O'Brien FJ, Piskareva O

Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2020Acta biomaterialia

Rapid bone repair with the recruitment of CD206(+)M2-like macrophages using non-viral scaffold-mediated miR-133a inhibition of host cells.

Castaño IM, Raftery RM, Chen G, Cavanagh B, Quinn B, Duffy GP, O'Brien FJ, Curtin CM

Antimicrobial and immunomodulatory materials Bone, cartilage, joint repair and PTOA Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2020Pharmaceutics

Layered Double Hydroxide as a Potent Non-viral Vector for Nucleic Acid Delivery Using Gene-Activated Scaffolds for Tissue Regeneration Applications.

Costard LS, Kelly DC, Power RN, Hobbs C, Jaskaniec S, Nicolosi V, Cavanagh BL, Curtin CM, O'Brien FJ

Gene-activated materials Targeted therapeutic delivery Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2020ACS applied bio materials

Hydroxyapatite Particle Shape and Size Influence MSC Osteogenesis by Directing the Macrophage Phenotype in Collagen-Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds.

Sridharan R, Genoud KJ, Kelly DJ, O'Brien FJ

Antimicrobial and immunomodulatory materials Bone, cartilage, joint repair and PTOA Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

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