An experimental 3D model of the rat, thyroid gland stromal scaffold: implications for bioengineering of a bioartificial thyroid gland

My PhD project aims at characterizing an ex situ model of adult male rat thyroid gland, recently designed and experimentally developed at the University of Parma, Parma, Italy by the research group headed by Prof. Roberto Toni MD PhD, and chosen as a key experimental tool for the activity of the recently funded, five-years Horizon 2020 SCREENED research project (Coordinator, Prof. Lorenzo Moroni, PhD, University of Maastricht, NL) . According to the principles of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, we have selected a combination of biocompatible / bioerodible materials to be used as 3D scaffold substrates, and adult rat thyroid stem cells induced to differentiation to give rise to a 3D thyroid organoid, grown in either static or dynamic bioreactor-like cell culture. In the first year of my PhD program, I have characterized the stromal composition of the decellularized adult male rat thyroid lobe (i.e. its matrix) using two different mass spectrometry approaches coupled to appropriate bioinformatics software. In the second year of my PhD program, I have investigated the use of collagen from rat tail tendons and polysaccharide substances like chitosan as chemical substrates suitable for bioprinting technology. Under the supervision of Prof. Lisa Elviri PhD at the Department of Food Science and Pharmacology of the University of Parma, Parma, Italy I have in vitro engineered 3D reticular structures, geometrically and chemically consistent with parts of the stromal matrix of the rat thyroid lobe, to be used as scaffolds for thyroid stem cell homing. In the third year of my PhD program, in collaboration with the Proteomic Group of the University College of Dublin (Ireland) leaded by Prof. Stephen R. Pennington PhD, I have conducted a study leading to the proteomic signature of adult male rat thyroid stem cell / progenitors. These results will be exploited to identify molecular makers for selective sorting by cytometric technology of adult male rat thyroid stem cells directly from their native tissue, and to enlighten still uncovered biological properties of these cell precursors.