The MAGISTER project was started on December 2008 with the objective to develop new conceptually type of scaffolds (magnetic scaffolds - MagS) for orthopaedic surgery.

The magnetic moment of the scaffolds introduces the fascinating possibility to continuously control and reload them with scaffold precursors and various active factors (e.g. VEGF). Such magnetic scaffold can be imagined as a fixed “station” that offers a long-living assistance to the tissue engineering via a controlled in vivo supply of various bio-agents functionalized to magnetic nanoparticles injected in the proximity of the scaffold. This approach provides a unique possibility to adjust the scaffold activity to the personal needs of the patient.

The new scaffolds will unlock the full potential of the tissue regeneration, thanks to the possibility to control the angiogenic processes by means of magnetic forces and will be able to repair large bone defects and ostheocondral lesions in the articular surface of the skeletal system. Another important issue is the fascinating possibility to achieve efficient scaffold fixation via magnetic forces (as reported in the figure aside) providing a minimally invasive solution to the problems of fixation that many scaffolds meet.