Every year, around 33 million musculoskeletal injuries are reported, of which approximately 50% involve tendon and ligament injuries. Due to the diverse aetiology of these injuries, there is no universal (‘one-fits-all’) solution. Tendon disorders are significantly debilitating, associated with severe pain, motor impairment, and loss of self-sufficiency.

TEN4CARE represents a crucial opportunity for the European Materials and Medical Technology (MedTech) industries to address this challenge. Our goal is to develop innovative, minimally invasive, and personalised treatment solutions for tendon injuries. We seek to address the health complexities associated with these disorders, promoting rapid recovery for acute or chronic conditions.

Our
Solution

Intelligent 4D Nanocomposite Hydrogel TEN4CARE is developing an innovative strategy for tendon tissue engineering through the design of a cutting-edge medical device:

• Key Device: A 4D nanocomposite fibrous hydrogel with shape memory and sensitivity to electromagnetic fields.
• Minimally Invasive Implantation: The device is designed to be implanted using minimally invasive surgery (MIS), allowing it to be injected and anchored to join tendons or ligaments.
• Regenerative Effect: The hydrogel amplifies cell recruitment from surrounding tissues and refines their homing capabilities. This effort will boost extracellular matrix (ECM) production, effectively replacing compromised or missing tissue.
• Advanced Functionalities: This device is a game changer as it will combine enhanced structural properties, shape memory, antibacterial activity, and regenerative capabilities, driven by external forces such as magnetic and electric fields (EMS/EMF). In addition, it will be loaded with an anti-inflammatory drug for acute phase control.

Impact and Industrial Sustainability

The TEN4CARE project will have a broad impact on citizens’ health and well-being, as well as on sustainability, resilience and business opportunities for the entire industrial sector.

We will focus on:

• Production Process: We will obtain a GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) validated production process, together with an industrial scale-up strategy.
• Regulatory Framework: We will include early regulatory planning, completed with a regulatory roadmap for the sector.
• Safety and Sustainability: We will carry out a detailed Safety and Sustainability assessment based on SSbD (Safe and Sustainable by Design) concepts, guiding our developments and generating general guidelines for the entire sector.

Key Project Data

Key Project Data

• Grant Agreement: 101178590.
• Total Funding: €7,929,471.46.
• Type of Action: HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA).
• Granting Authority: European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA).
• Duration: 48 months.
• Coordination: UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PAVIA (UNIPV).
• Consortium: Multidisciplinary, composed of 16 partners from 7 countries.