proTect – New concepts for in vitro evaluation of the biocompatibility of materials and medical products

In medicine, increasingly complex materials and medical products are being used that affect the body by negatively interfering with cell metabolism and can thus cause inflammatory reactions or allergies, leading to material intolerances. To prevent this, it is important to test these materials and medical products for their biocompatibility. The project goal is to combine the expertise of the Immunology, Signalling Pathways and Bioinformatics working groups at the Department of Applied Life Sciences and the Austrian Research Institute for Chemistry and Engineering (OFI) in a collaborative project. The aim is to develop an in vitro test system to assess the biocompatibility of test substances that come into direct contact with human tissue. These include invasive medical devices, biosensors and catheters.

The project is divided into three parts: in the first part, established human cell cultures (e.g. epithelial cells, immune cells) are treated in vitro with materials and medical products. The influence of the materials on the cells is determined by analysing the protein expression profiles of the treated cells using high-resolution mass spectrometry. In a second part, established immunological methods are used to analyse whether the materials activate the innate or adaptive immune system and can trigger inflammatory reactions or allergies. A third part concentrates on classical toxicological parameters, which are evaluated with the aid of microscopic high content screening. Results from the three sub-projects will allow a comprehensive assessment of the biocompatibility of the materials. This development will make it possible to replace animal experiments with reliable in vitro test systems.