Organizers
Research group in Medical Biophysics at the Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC) - University of Genoa Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali Ceramici ISTEC-CNR - Faenza Institute of Biomaterials at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Universität Stuttgart · Institute for Manufacturing Technologies of Ceramic Components and Composites Research activity of the organizers groups
University of Genova - Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC) The Biophysics Section of the Department of Integrated Surgical and Diagnostic Sciences (DISC) is engaged in research on biophysical nanotechnologies and on the development of biosensors. For years it has also been involved in the preparation and characterization of surfaces with nanometric and submicrometric porosity, with particular reference to Alumina Porosa and Titanium Nanotubes for the development of new materials for medical and odontoiatric applications. Participant to the “Current Research” projects financed by the Italian Ministry of Health: "Stem cells: new tools for clinical applications" and ”Innovative Technologies in Regenerative medicine: Stem Cells and Scaffolds in Veterinary Orthopedy” in collaboration with the “Istituto Zooprofilattico del Lazio e della Toscana (IZSLT) with headquarters in Rome. The Section has also already dealt extensively with studies on the use and technology of microarray and NAPPA Protein Array and applications of biological sensors based in particular on high sensitivity cyclic voltammetry for the determination of physiological parameters relevant to human and environmental health. The Biophysics Section is participating to ERANET-Horizon 2020 with the project: BPRACTICE “New Indicators And On-Farm Practices To Improve Honeybee Health In The Aethina Tumida Era In Europe” and to the industrial project “Wiring microrganisms: affecting the genetic fate of facultative photosynthetic bacteria by direct electrochemistry” with IBF-CNR sponsored by Zuccato Energia. National Research Council ISTEC-CNR - Faenza - Institute of Science and Technology for Ceramics The Institute of Science and Technology for Ceramics of the National Research Council of Italy (ISTEC-CNR) is the largest research institute dedicated to the design and development of advanced ceramic materials for application in the biomedical, energy, aerospace and environmental field. The Biomaterials and Bio-hybrid Composite Group at ISTEC-CNR has 30 years of experience in the design and development of bioactive materials and devices addressed to hard tissues regeneration (bone, cartilage, teeth). The Group is pioneer in the development of nature-inspired processes for fabrication of biomimetic scaffolds with cell-instructive properties for regeneration of bone and osteochondral tissues, specifically designed for application in orthopaedics, neurosurgery, maxillofacial, spinal, dentistry. Relevant research products of CNR-ISTEC are: biomimetic, ion-doped calcium phosphate nanoparticles; intrinsically magnetic hydroxyapatite nanoparticles; bio-hybrid composites; 3-D porous ceramic and hybrid scaffolds; biomorphic scaffolds; drug delivery systems for nanomedicine. In the last 15 years ISTEC-CNR is coordinator of 4 EC-funded Projects: AUTOBONE, TEMPLANT, OPHIS and SMILEY, and WP Leader in the EC-funded Projects MAGISTER, BIO-INSPIRE, CUPIDO and SCREENED. The Group has developed 18 international patents and is very active in translational medicine, bringing several medical devices to the clinics. University of Erlangen-Nuremberg - Institute of Biomaterials The Institute of Biomaterials at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg was established 10 years ago within the Department of Materials Science and Engineering with the appointment of Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (formerly at Imperial College London) as Head of Institute. The Institute has established a wide research program involving basic and applied research in field of biomaterials, with research projects involving a broad spectrum of biomaterials; from bioactive glasses and bioceramics to biopolymers, metals and organic-inorganic composites. Biomaterials research is being carried in a very interdisciplinary environment and in close collaboration with researchers with expertise in cell biology, biochemistry, biotechnology and medical sciences in Erlangen, Germany and worldwide. Several projects involve the development and characterization of nanostructured bioactive materials for medical implants, biomedical coatings, tissue engineering and drug delivery. Bioactive materials are investigated as multifunctional platforms for applications both as traditional implant materials and also for advanced tissue regeneration approaches. Biomaterials in focus are bioactive glasses and their composites in combination with biopolymers to form advanced organic-inorganic scaffolds, in particular the Institute specializes in the field of bioactive glasses with biologically active ion delivery capability for applications ranging from bone tissue engineering, vascularization approaches and wound heling to antibacterial materials. A wide range of processing techniques is available, with emphasis on electric field assisted methods such as electrophoretic deposition and electrospinning. In the field of bone tissue engineering, it is of particular interest to control the surface topography and chemistry of 3D tissue engineering scaffolds to enhance both the growth of new bone tissue and vascularisation. The inclusion of nanoparticles and nanofibres forming composites is being considered to mimic the nanostructure of tissues in the body. Moreover, in the last five years the Institute has established a wide research program in the field of biofabrication, and is a leading partner in the large Collaborative Research Centre “From the fundamentals of biofabrication towards functional tissue models”, funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG). Other current significant research projects being carried out at the Institute with national or international funding include: biopolymer patches for cardiac tissue engineering, bioactive coatings on biodegradable Mg alloy substrates and antibiotic free antibacterial materials. Universität Stuttgart - Institute for Manufacturing Technologies of Ceramic Components and Composites The Institute for Manufacturing Technologies of Ceramic Components and Composites founded in 1995 is the largest research institute at the University of Stuttgart dedicated to manufacturing of advanced ceramic components, composites and coatings, not only for biomedical applications, but also for advanced mechanical engineering applications, like automotive or aerospace engineering. For more than a decade, the institute under the direction of Professor Gadow has been working on research and development of coating for implants with bioactive ceramics like calcium phosphates, wollastonite or bioactive glasses. In the recent years, the additive manufacturing of these materials for the fabrication of bone scaffolds has also been a research focus of the institute. The validation of the bioactivity and compatibility of the coated implants and printed structures is carried out in close cooperation with the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology at the University of Freiburg. Development of biofunctional coatings started over a decade ago by applying plasma sprayed CaP materials on resorbable PDLLA implants used in maxillofacial surgery. By applying these coatings, it became possible to control the resorption rate of the PDLLA structure in the living body. The introduction of High-Velocity Suspension Flame Spraying (HVSFS) lead to the development of an entire class of HAp, TCP and bioglass related coatings for bone implants. Suspension spraying especially allows for processing of submicron and nano-scaled primary powders, creating unique coating microstructure. The development lead to a new class of thin, dense and well adherent coatings with permanent or resorbable capabilities that can be applied to any metal or ceramic substrate, f. i. titanium alloys. In a recent research project, carried out together with the University Medical Center of Freiburg, metal-doped HVSFS CaP-coatings for bone implants were developed, that show antibacterial properties by releasing metal ions during resorption in vivo. Development of ceramic probes for MRT tolerant sensor implants in deep brain stimulation has been another research field of the institute. Oxide ceramics based on Ce-TZP showing extremely high toughness were developed and tested in vitro. They showed excellent MRT compatibility.