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Overview
BESTT consists of a multi-disciplinary group of scientists, engineers, veterinarians, stem cell biologists and physicians working together with the ultimate goal to develop new approaches for the treatment of damaged joints or disc degeneration.
The group has been in existence for over five years and provides a unique environment to train students, both the graduate and undergraduate, and post-doctoral fellows. There are over 30 trainees and technicians in the group. BESTT is supported by a variety of funding agencies, including CIHR, NSERC and Arthritis Society.
Long-term goals
To engineer tissues in vitro that can be used to repair damaged joints and spine.
Immediate goals
- Develop models of joint tissues, such as cartilage or intervertebral disc, which will allow for investigation of the mechanisms regulating tissue formation and degradation.
- Identify mechanisms regulating tissue formation following cell attachment to biomaterials or under stimulatory conditions such as mechanical stimulation.
- Develop novel biological approaches to cartilage or intervertebral disc repair/replacement.
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