ABOUT

The Group’s aim is to use biofabrication strategies to develop 3D matrices, in vitro biological models, advanced therapeutic medicinal products and smart micro/nano-systems for applications in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and cancer. The Group focuses on the development of multifunctional biomaterials using biofabrication strategies to generate versatile biomimetic platforms to study cell-material interactions underlying both healthy or diseased tissues, translating this knowledge to create cutting-edge solutions for tissue repair/regeneration, as well as for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

RESEARCH

The Group’s research consists in the development of multifunctional biomaterials for biofabrication strategies (namely 3D bioprinting and electrospinning), combining them with cell-based products, and organ-on-a-chip devices using principles and tools from tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Biomaterials play a central role in most biomedical applications, by acting as cell-instructive matrices and/or delivery vehicles of cells, drugs and biomolecules. We are developing new biomaterials with controllable properties, capable of guiding de novo tissue formation. We have been synthetizing novel biomaterials with multifunctional properties, dynamic and viscoelastic behaviors by exploring a variety of chemistries in order to recreate fundamental functions of the native extracellular matrix. These biomaterials are being applied to develop advanced bioinks, 3D cell culture platforms, matrices for tissue regeneration and micro/nanoparticulate systems.
Bioprinting is a core technology in biofabrication enabling the automated generation of biologically functional 3D constructs. We are working on the development of bioprinting technologies combining modular printing units to produce 3D cell-laden constructs, cell-instructive 3D scaffolds and in vitro tissue models. By utilizing bioprinting systems, we are able to control the spatial arrangement of cells, biomaterials and biomolecules towards the fabrication of biomimetic 3D constructs. We are developing bioengineering strategies combining bioinstructive biomaterials, cells and gene editing tools (CRISPR) using biofabrication approaches to develop novel solutions for skin, stomach, bone, intervertebral disc (IVD) and cartilage regeneration.
Another area of research is the use of microfluidic technology to create miniaturized organs-on-a-chip platforms resembling fundamental features of human organs. Biomimetic platforms are a valuable tool to perform in vitro studies to understand fundamental mechanisms underlying healthy and diseased tissues. We are combining cell-derived and decellularized matrices, engineered biomaterials, cells and bioprinting technology to create 3D in vitro tissue models and 3D cell culture systems to study the transport of nanoparticles and cell-cell and cell-material interactions. These platforms are essential to develop more efficient strategies for cancer and tissue regeneration or repair (e.g. stomach ulcers, IVD, chronic skin wounds).