The Biomimetic and Functional Regenerative Biomaterials Lab is focused on:
Electroactive Biomaterials for Stem Cell Engineering and Tissue Regeneration
Development and charaterization of electrically conductive and piezoelectric biomaterial scaffolds to modulate stem cell fate and improve tissue regeneration. The scaffolds are produced using Additive Manufacturing technologies (3D Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) and 3D Bioprinting) and Electrospinning. Hydrogels containing conductive nanoparticles are combined with electrical stimulation to achieved highly controlled drug release systems. The electroactive scaffolds cultured with stem cells are exposed to electrical and/or mechanical stimuli to foster tissue regeneration, with the particular focus in bone, cartilage and osteochondral tissue engineering strategies.
Advanced Manufacturing of Hierarchical Biomimetic Scaffolds for Orthopedic and Dental Tissue Engineering Applications
Multi-technology biofabrication approaches combining techniques such as 3D printing (FDM, SLA), Electrospinning (monoaxial vs. coaxial/aligned vs. random fiber configurations), hydrogel synthesis and 3D Bioprinting to produce hierarchical, multilayer, multiphasic or gradient scaffolds able to mimic the highly complex architectures of osteochondral and periodontal tissues.
Hybrid Decellularized Cell-derived ECM/Polymeric Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering and Disease Modelling
Combination of decellularized cell-derived extracellular matrix (dECM) with polymeric biomaterials to generate bioactive and mechanically stable hybrid scaffolds. Strategies include the fabrication of dECM-loaded electrospun nanofibers and 3D bioprinted hydrogels as well as of in situ dECM decorated 3D printed scaffolds. Applications of these hybrid scaffolds include noy only bone, cartilage and periodontal tissue engineering strategies, but also bone cancer, periodontitis and osteoarthrithis in vitro disease modelling studies.
Prototyping and In Silico Modelling of Novel Bioreactor Devices for the Biophysical (Mechanical and Electrical) Stimulation of Tissue-Engineered Constructs
Design, in silico modelling and fabrication of bioreactor devices for the production of tissue-engineered constructs under native-like biophysical stimuli in an controlled, automated and scalable manner. Computational modelling (Finite element analysis) studies allow the prediction and optimization of both the scaffolds structural/mechanical properties as well as of the bioreactor stimulation protocols, reducing the time and costs related to only empiric-based trial-and-error optimization procedures. Bioreactor devices able to provided multiple combined physical stimuli (mechanical and/or electrical) are fabricated by additive manufacturing methods and integrated with biomaterial scaffolds and stem cells to produce tissue constructs with improved structural/mechanical properties and functionality.
PhD students: Mafalda Silva Santos, Frederico Barbosa, Filipe Miguel, Pedro Marcelino, Kristin Schüler, Mafalda Miguéis
Research Fellow/DFA students: Margarida Domingues “Bioprinted in vitro models of osteosarcoma using decellularized ECM-based bioinks” (with Paola Sanjuan-Alberte)
MSc students: Ruben Pires, Inês Carvalho, Frederico Passeiro (with CoLAB AccelBio), Fernando Cunha (with CQE-IST), Ricardo Delgado (with CERENA-IST)
Key collaborators
ACADEMIC: Deepak Vashishth (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai Center for Engineering and Precision Medicine, USA), Diana Massai (Politecnico di Torino, Italy), Robert J. Linhardt (RPI, USA), Jorge Morgado (Instituto de Telecomunicações), Paula Pascoal-Faria and Nuno Alves (CDRSP, Politécnico de Leiria), Carlos Alemán (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya), Ana Paula Serro (Centro de Química Estrutural (CQE), IST), Paulo Fernandes (IDMEC, IST), Ana Clara Marques (CERENA, IST), Henrique Vazão de Almeida (CENIMAT|I3N, Universidade Nova de Lisboa), Carla Moura (I2A, Politécnico de Coimbra), Dora Brites (iMED, Faculdade de Farmácia ULisboa), João Ferreira (INEGI-FEUP).
INDUSTRIAL: Eduardo Pires (Bioceramed)
CLINICAL: - Nuno Assunção Ribeiro (Orthopedic surgeon at Hospital
dos Lusíadas);
- João Botelho (Dental Surgery, Dentistry and
Periodontology at Clinical Research Unit – Egas Moniz Center for
Interdisciplinary Research (CiiEM))