STEM-P laboratory mission is to foster research on materials science
and processes design to improve sustainability and well-being, on
interaction with animal cell-based technologies.
STEM-P provides continuous innovation on novel materials, tissue
engineering approaches, novel devices and bioreactors, and
manufacturing process design.
1. IMPACT: STEM-P aims to impact on two very different
fields:
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Tissue engineering and cancer therapies, focused on the developing
of novel biomimetic and bioinspired materials and bioreactors for
tissue engineering -including electrical, piezoelectrical and
magnetic stimuli responsive nanotechnologies, scaffolds and
bioinks- for developing tissue constructs from stem cells and
target cancer therapies that explore biophysical approaches; and
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Cellular agriculture, with focus on fish-based food products
manufactured with low ecological impact, namely by developing
novel edible bio-inks and scaffolds made from algae and vegan
materials and their use on strategies that foster tissue growth,
maturation and organisation into final food prototypes.
2. ENGINEER’S TOOLBOX: STEM-P develops innovative specific
key enabling technologies and processes, working in close synergies
with the other laboratories of dMESH, pMESH and SCERG namely:
a. Manufacture of functional advanced materials
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Synthesis, functionalization and composite preparation of
materials able to provide biological and physical cues, along with
stimuli responsive properties, namely to electric, piezoelectric,
magnetic, near infrared or ultrasounds as means to provide
wireless stimulation.
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Develop hybrid materials, combining synthetic and natural
sustainable materials, for cell and organ engineering with
adequate mechanic features (i.e. low stiffness, flexible or
elastic), biodegradability, biocompatibility (including ability to
modulate stem cell behaviour), facilitated cross-link and,
importantly, being possible to be processed alone or with cells
and extracellular matrices on 3D structures.
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Formulate materials composites for use in hierarchical
organization and mediation of stimuli delivery, combining stimuli
responsive properties.
b. Manufacture of 3D scaffolds, electropun fibres and bioprinting
for tissue constructs engineering
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Design and construction of scaffolds and/or 3D direct printing of
cells allows, respectively for top-down and bottom-up approaches,
to support 3D culture of stem cells and tissue construct
development.
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Engineering different structures ranging from the nanoscale
(nanoparticles, electrospun nanofibers) to macroscale (using
additive manufacture techniques) using the functional materials
developed, along with existing biomaterials and natural
extracellular matrix components.
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Develop novel approaches to foster hierarchical cell organization,
support control drug/factor delivery and provide physical stimuli
to cells, contributing to stem cell differentiation and maturation
on tissue constructs.
c. Bioreactor, device and bioprinting designs and prototyping for
3D cell culture and processing
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Design novel bioreactors and devices to support integration of
cells, scaffolds and controlled physical stimuli, able to support
and stimulate cell and tissue construct development.
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Development of novel bioprinters able to assist novel approaches
of tissue construct, namely combination of manufacturing
techniques and cry-bioprinting.
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Combining adequate mathematical models of mass transfer,
mechanical forces distribution, shear stress, electrical and/or
magnetic field intensities to design the scaffold and bioreactors
and/or devices to support 3D cell culture and processing.
3. RESEARCH CHALLENGES: STEM-P conducts activities balance
between fundamental and applied research to answer to specific
research and technological questions, namely:
a. The effect of electrical and magnetic stimulation on cells
To investigate the effect of electrical, ultrasounds, and magnetic
stimulation of stem cells, progenitor cells and cancer cells.
Specifically, investigations have been focused on:
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Electrical and piezoelectrical stimulation of iPSCs and progenitor
cells for their differentiation and maturation aiming at the
regeneration and development of different tissues, including
neural and cardiac human tissue as well as fish muscle;
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Magnetic stimulation of stem and progenitor cell-seeded scaffolds
to tune cell secretome, enhancing its angiogenic potential and
production of viable tissues, as well as use electromagnetic
fields and responsive biomaterial platforms for manufacture of 3D
tissue constructs; and
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Electrical and piezoelectrical stimulation of cancer cells alone
or including stimuli responsive nanoparticle systems are explored
aiming to provide new cancer therapies (under leadership from
Bioelectronics for Cancer Therapies lab at dMESH and Nanomaterials
for Bioeconomy lab at pMESH).
b. Novel approaches to de develop biomimetic 3D sustainable
tissues
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Design and prototype fish fillets combining 3D bioprinting of fat
and muscle bioinks with myo-septum electrospun fibers meshes and
the use of electrical stimulation to enhance muscle maturation.
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Develop novel elastic patches for superior cardiac, skin and
neural tissue regeneration, comprising stimuli responsive
materials allowing virtuous cycles between cells and materials.
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Hierarchical scaffolds with electrical and piezoelectrical
gradient for production of different tissue substitutes, including
osteochondral tissues (under leadership from Biomimetic and
Functional Regenerative Biomaterials lab at dMESH).
c. Economic assessment of innovative advanced therapies
Early economic assessment of advanced therapy medicinal products,
medical technologies and advanced food production systems are
essential to support decisions on the development of technologies,
in close collaboration with clinicians and industrial partners
(under collaboration with Bioreactor and Biomaterial Technologies
for Stem Cell Manufacturing Lab at dMESH).
