December 2016

 


          • End of the Year Meeting at the Institute of Biomaterials
            The end-of-the-year meeting at the Institute of Biomaterials took place on 19th December 2016 in our new building in Erlangen-West. Professor Boccaccini gave a presentation summarizing the achievements of the year 2016. He put some of such achievements in numbers, stating for example that during the year, 6 doctoral students achieved their Dr.-Ing. degree, 47 Master, Bachelor and Project students carried out their research projects or theses in our Institute. In 2016, also 5 new PhD students started their doctoral projects in our Institute and we received 34 international visitors this year, including academic visitors and visiting undergraduate and graduate students, e.g. Erasmus exchange students. We were also successful in receiving prizes and awards, 6 in total, including two awards for PhD students (Lukas Gritsch and Yuyun Yang). We gave more than 25 presentations at conferences around the world, many of them invited or keynote presentations. Our publication activity was also superb, our Institute published 68 papers in scientific journals during 2016. Last but not least, as Prof. Boccaccini emphasized, other highlights of the year were the inauguration in July of our new building and experimental facilities in Ulrich-Schalk Street, and the very successful international symposium we organized in November. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !
            End of the Year 2016 End of the Year 2016 End of the Year 2016 End of the Year 2016


          • Doctoral thesis success: Elena Boccardi

            On 19th December 2016 Elena Boccardi successfully defended her doctoral thesis in the field of bioactive glass scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, which was carried out under the supervision of Professor Aldo R. Boccaccini at our Institute. In addition to Prof. Boccaccini, Prof. Enrica Verne (Department of Applied Science and Technology, Polytechnic of Turin, Italy), Prof. Wilhelm Schwieger (Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, FAU), and Prof. Dirk Schubert (Chair for Polymer Materials, FAU), were the members of the doctoral defense committee.

            Elena pioneered the development of bioactive glass (BG) scaffolds using marine sponges as templates, these novel scaffolds exhibit high pore interconnectivity and improved mechanical properties in comparison to conventional (PU sponge derived) scaffolds, as highlighted by Prof. Boccaccini. The incorporation of mesoporous BG particles as drug delivery carriers was also explored. During her research activities in our Institute, Elena was involved in three European research projects, namely GLACERCO, ReBioStent and MOZART. Several publications have resulted from Elena's thesis (see for example refs. [1-3]). We congratulate Elena on achieving her doctoral degree and wish her all the best in her future career.

            [1] Boccardi, E., Philippart, A., Bortuzzo, J., Beltran, A., Novarja, G., Vitale Brovarone, C., Spiecker, E., Boccaccini, A. R., Uniform surface modification of 3D Bioglass®-based scaffolds with mesoporous silica particles (MCM-41) for enhancing drug delivery capability, Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 3 (2015):177.

            [2] Boccardi, E., Belova, I. V., Murch, G. E., Boccaccini, A. R., Fiedler, T., Oxygen diffusion in marine-derived tissue engineering scaffolds, J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Med. 26 (2015) 200.

            [3] Boccardi, E., Philippart, A., Melli, V., Altomare, L., De Nardo, L., Novajra, G., Vitale-Brovarone, C., Fey, T., Boccaccini, A. R., Bioactivity and mechanical stability of 45S5 bioactive glass scaffolds based on natural marine sponges, Ann. Biomed. Eng. 44 (2016) 1881–1893.


            Defense Elena Boccardi Defense Elena Boccardi Defense Elena Boccardi Defense Elena Boccardi Defense Elena Boccardi Defense Elena Boccardi Defense Elena Boccardi


          • Visit of Prof. Enrica Verne (Polytechnic of Turin, Italy)
            On 19th December 2016 we received the visit of Prof. Enrica Verne a senior member of the Department of Applied Science and Technology at Polytechnic of Turin, Italy, led by Prof. Monica Ferraris. We have been collaborating with the research group of Prof. Verne for more than 12 years. Previously we have investigated the surface functionalization of bioactive glasses [1], more recently we have collaborated in the field of Zn and Sr doped bioactive glass based coatings for metallic materials [2].

            [1] Verne, E., Vitale-Brovarone, C., Bui, E., Bianchi, C. L., Boccaccini, A. R., Surface functionalization of bioactive glasses, J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 90A (2009) 981-992.
            [2] Miola, M., Verné, E., Ciraldo, F. E., Cordero-Arias, L. and Boccaccini, A. R., Electrophoretic deposition of chitosan/45S5 bioactive glass composite coatings doped with Zn and Sr, Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 3 (2015) Article 159.
            Prof. Boccaccini Prof. Enrica Verne



          • Kickoff meeting of DFG funded project on cardiac tissue engineering
            The kickoff meeting of our new DFG funded project on fibrous biomaterials for cardiac tissue engineering, in collaboration with the group of _Prof. Felix Engel (Experimental Renal and Cardiovascular Research, University Hospital Erlangen) took place on 12th December 2016 at the Institute of Biomaterials (BioMat). In the photo Prof. Boccaccini (BioMat), Florian Ruther (BioMat), Lena Vogt (BioMat), Kaveh Roshanbinfar (Experimental Renal and Cardiovascular Research), Jana Petzold (Experimental Renal and Cardiovascular Research) and Prof. F. Engel. The project will investigate a new family of electrically conductive biopolymer patches for cardiac regeneration. Our previous work in collaboration with Prof. Engel's group has been published [1, 2]. [1] M. Tallawi, et al. Novel PGS/PCL electrospun fiber mats with patterned topographical features for cardiac patch applications, Materials Science and Engineering C 69 (2016) 569–576. [2] M. Tallawi, et al., Poly (glycerol sebacate)/poly (butylene succinate-butylene dilinoleate) fibrous scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering,Tissue Eng. Part C: Methods 21 (2015), 585-596.


            Kickoff meeting


 



          • Yuyun Yang receives Frans Habraken Best Paper Award in Amsterdam
            Yuyun Yang, PhD student at the Institute of Biomaterials, supervised by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini and co-supervised by Prof. Sanna Virtannen (Institute of Surface Science and Corrosion), received the Frans Habraken Best Paper Award of the journal Applied Surface Science in Amsterdam. The paper “Yang, Y., et al., In vitro study of polycaprolactone/bioactive glass composite coatings on corrosion and bioactivity of pure Mg” (Applied Surface Science, Volume 355, 2015, 832-841) was selected from close to 40 nominees. The news are also in the Elsevier social network. In the photo, Yuyun with Elsevier publisher, Ms Arasa Cid Carina, and with the Editor-in-Chief of Appl. Surf. Sci., Prof. Henrik Rudolph.
            (Click image to enlarge)


            Yuyun Yang receives Frans Habraken Best Paper Award in Amsterdam

 


          • Our visiting researchers in this winter semester!
            We welcome our visiting researchers from Turkey (Fatih Erdem Baştan, Sakarya University), Spain (Julia M. Urena Alcazar, Universidad Carlos III, Madrid and Eugeni C. Recacha, Inst. of Ceramics Technology, Castellon), Italy (Mariangela Curcio, University of Basilicata, Daniela Trapani, Polytechnic of Milan), Argentina (Maria Laura Dittler, National University of La Plata) and China (Yongcong Fang, Tsinghua University), who are working on a variety of projects, including bioactive coatings by electrophoretic deposition, hydrogel scaffolds for soft tissue engineering, bioactivity tests on nanostructured surfaces, bioactive glass scaffolds, magnetic nanoparticles and biofabrication techniques.
            (Click image to enlarge)


            Our visiting researchers in this winter semester

 


          • Kick-off meeting of new DFG project on bioactive glasses in Darmstadt
            The kick-off meeting of the new DFG funded project on ion-doped bioactive glasses with outstanding high temperature crystallization resistance took place on 30th November 2016 at the Technical University of Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt), hosted by the Institute for Materials Science, Dispersive Solids (Head: Prof. Ralf Riedel). The principal investigators Dr. Maria Isabel Gonzalo de Juan, Dr. Emanuel Ionescu, research student Mr Fangtong Xie (TU Darmstadt) and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (FAU Institute of Biomaterials) (pictured) attended the meeting. This new 3-year project will develop a new family of multifunctional therapeutic-ions-containing bioactive glasses synthesized at TU Darmstadt which will be characterized for their intrinsic bioactive behavior at the Institute of Biomaterials in Erlangen.
            (Click image to enlarge)


            Kick-off meeting of new DFG project on bioactive glasses in Darmstadt

 


          • Our new paper on nanocomposite scaffolds in collaboration with our Argentinean colleagues published in Biomedical Materials
            The paper entitled: "Nanocomposite scaffolds with tunable mechanical and degradation capabilities: co-delivery of bioactive agents for bone tissue engineering" [1] has been just published in Biomedical Materials. The paper presents results of our collaborative project with the group of Prof. Viviana Mourino, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, with participation also of Dr. F. Pishbin of the Department of Materials, Imperial College London, UK, and of the group of Prof. A. Gorustovich, Interdisciplinary Materials Group-IESIING-UCASAL, Salta, Argentina. The paper introduces a new technology to develop multifunctional nanocomposite scaffolds based on nanobioactive glass and alginate crosslinked with therapeutic ions (calcium and copper) and loaded with alendronate. The novel nanocomposites are an exciting new class of therapeutic carriers with tunable mechanical and degradation properties for bone tissue engineering applications.

            [1] J. P. Cattalini, et al., Nanocomposite scaffolds with tunable mechanical and degradation capabilities: co-delivery of bioactive agents for bone tissue engineering, Biomed. Mater. 11 (2016) 065003

 

November 2016

 


          • Successful International Symposium at the Institute of Biomaterials
            The International Symposium "Erlangen Institute of Biomaterials: Inauguration of new building and facilities” together with the "3rd Erlangen Symposium on Biomaterials: 'Challenges for the 21st Century” was held on 28th November 2016 at the new building of the Institute of Biomaterials in Erlangen-West. More than 80 researchers, including professors, post-doctoral researchers, PhD students as well as Master students and academic visitors, took part at this event which was organized to mark the inauguration of the new building and facilities of the Institute. Prof. Boccaccini, Head of Institute, opened the symposium reading also a message of Prof. F. Paulsen, the vice president for Teaching and Learning of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. In his introduction Boccaccini highlighted the quality of the laboratory space and modern facilities for biomaterials and cell biology research, with emphasis on tissue engineering, electrospinning and biofabrication, which are now available for the members of the Institute and the new opportunities for national and international collaborations. The program of the symposium included a compact series of high quality presentations by invited speakers from Erlangen, Germany and abroad (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini), who covered a great variety of topics from conventional biomaterials for implants and surgical technologies to novel bioactive and cell instructive materials for tissue engineering, cancer research and drug delivery. The symposium finished with the round table "Biomaterials: Challenges for the 21st Century" with active contribution of the participants. The visitors had the opportunity to tour the new laboratories and facilities.
            (Click images to enlarge)


            symposium_boccaccinisymposium_lab-toursymposium_lab-tour-2symposium_speakerssymposium_talksymposium_talk-2

 


          • Two papers on bioactive glass composite scaffolds with our collaborators from China published
            In the framework of our academic exchange program "Fabrication and osteogenesis of hierarchical scaffold of mesoporous Mg-doped bioactive glass/PBS composites" with the Engineering Research Center for Biomedical Materials of Ministry of Education in East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China, (Prof. Jie Wei), two papers [1, 2] have been recently published in J. Mater. Chem. B. We are currently collaborating with the group of Prof. Wei in the development and characterization of metallic ion doped bioactive glasses and their application in bone tissue scaffolds. The project is supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

            [1] Z. Wu, et al., Effects of magnesium silicate on mechanical property, biocompatibility, bioactivity, degradability, osteogenesis of poly(butylene succinate) based composite scaffolds for bone repair, J. Mater. Chem. B (2016) DOI: 10.1039/C6TB02429G

            [2] S. Feng, et al., Influences of mesoporous magnesium silicate on the hydrophilicity, degradability, mineralization and primary cell response to a wheat protein based biocomposite, J. Mater. Chem. B 4 (2016) 6428-6436.

 


          • Meeting of the Network of Argentinian Scientists (RCAA) in Germany
            Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini attended the Annual General Meeting of the Network of Argentinian Scientists in Germany (Red de Cientificos Argentinos en Alemania, RCAA), which was held on 11th November 2016 at the Embassy of Argentina in Berlin. Prof. Boccaccini represents the area "Engineering" at the Advisory Committee of RCAA together with Dr. Flavio Soldera (University of Saarland) (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini). At the general annual meeting of RCAA, Prof. Boccaccini contributed to a presentation about the first 7 years of the RCAA (established in Nov. 2009), which focuses on research collaborations and interactions between Germany and Argentina and is part of the RAICES program of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovative Production of Argentina.
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            Soldera-Boccaccini-Berlin RCAA Meeting Berlin

 


          • European HyMedPoly project meeting in Heidelberg
            The progress meeting of the H2020-MSCA-ITN project "Drug-free antibacterial hybrid biopolymers for medical applications" (HyMedPoly) was held on 9-11 November 2016 in Heidelberg, Germany, hosted by the partner EURESCON. The PhD students of the FAU Institute of Biomaterials involved in this project, Agata Lapa, Seray Kaya, Muhammad Maqbool, Binh Phan and Lukas Gritsch, pictured with Prof. Boccaccini, attended the meeting and presented the latest results of their projects. Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini is also pictured with HyMedPoly coordinators, Dr. Xiang Zhang (Lucideon, UK) and Prof. Ipsita Roy (University of Westminster, UK).
            (Click images to enlarge)


            HyMedPoly-Heidelberg-PhDstudents-BoccacciniRoy-Zhang-Boccaccini-HyMedPoly



 

Award

 


          • Our new paper on bioactive glass composite scaffolds in collaboration with Chilean colleagues is online in JBMR-A
            Our new paper on bioactive glass-biopolymer composite scaffolds in collaboration with colleagues at University of Chile in the group of Prof. Humberto Palza at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology has been recently published online in the J. Biomed. Mater. Res. Part A [1]. The paper features results from the PhD project of Julian Bejarano, who spent a visiting research period in our Institute, on the development and characterisation of PDLLA scaffolds incorporating Cu and Zn-doped bioactive glasses having multifunctional properties for bone regeneration.

            [1] Bejarano, J. et al., PDLLA scaffolds with Cu and Zn-doped bioactive glasses having multifunctional properties for bone regeneration, J. Biomed. Mater. Res. Part A (2016) 10.1002/jbm.a.35952


 

October 2016

 


          • Prof. Boccaccini at MS&T 2016 in Salt Lake City, USA
            Prof. Boccaccini attended the MS&T 2016 conference joint with ACerS 118th Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, USA, on 23-27 October 2016. Prof. Boccaccini delivered the lecture and tutorial entitled: "Bioactive Glasses in Soft Tissue Repair. What Do We Know So Far?" related to the prestigious "Arthur L. Friedberg Ceramic Engineering Tutorial and Lecture Award 2016" that he received from the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) and National Institute of Ceramic Engineers (NICE). Prof. Boccaccini also presented the invited lecture: "Electrophoretic Deposition as a Biofabrication Technique" in the symposium: "Surface Properties of Biomaterials — Processing, Coating and Surface Modifications". He was also an invited panelist in the Panel Discussion on "Advanced Manufacturing — Collaborative Research Programs and Advances in Biomanufacturing", where he presented the talk entitled: "Enhanced Alginate Based Hydrogels for Biofabrication". In addition he presented the invited lecture: "Bioactive Materials Releasing Biologically Active Ions: Li and Nb Doped 45S5 Bioactive Glasses" in the symposium "Next Generation Biomaterials". The complete program of the conference is available. In the photos, Prof. Boccaccini with different colleagues, including: Prof. K. K. Chawla, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Prof. P. Portella, BAM, Berlin, Prof. A. Bandyopadhyay, Washington State University, USA, Prof. E. Zanotto, Univ. of S. Carlos, Brazil, Prof. D. E. Day, Missouri Univ. of Technology, USA, and receiving the Friedberg Award from Prof. R. Castro (NICE President), Univ. of California, Davis.
            (Click images to enlarge)


            Castro-BoccacciniDay-Zanotto-BoccacciniFreidberg-posterPortella-Chawla-BoccacciniBandyopadhyay-BoccacciniBoccaccini



 


 


          • Prof. Boccaccini, invited speaker at BioMAH conference in Rome
            Prof. Boccaccini was a member of the International Scientific Committee of the 1st Biennial Conference BIOMATERIALS FOR HEALTHCARE: Biomaterials for Tissue and Genetic Engineering and the Role of Nanotechnology (BioMAH), held at the headquarters of Italian National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy on 17-20 October 2016. Prof. Boccaccini was also an invited speaker at the conference. He presented the talk: "Soft Tissue Regeneration with Bioactive Glasses: Emerging Evidences and Successful Outcome", which was scheduled in the "Bioactive Glasses" session in memory of Prof. Larry Hench. Our Institute was also represented by Kai Zheng (PhD student, pictured with Prof. Boccaccini), who presented two posters entitled: "Synthesis and characterization of cerium-containing mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles for biomedical applications", with results of our work within the EU Horizon 2020 project MOZART ("Mesoporous matrices for localized pH-triggered release of therapeutic ions and drugs") and "Biocompatible hierarchical porous scaffolds of magnesium silicate/poly(butylene succinate) composite for bone regeneration", with results from our DAAD funded collaboration with Prof. Jie Wei 's research group at Engineering Research Center for Biomedical Materials of Ministry of Education in East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China. Prof. Boccaccini chaired the session "Bioceramics: Tradition and Innovation Trends" and he also moderated the Round Table "Multidoped silico-calcium phosphates as scaffolds for proliferation and differentiation of cells (MUSICAP)". In the photos, Prof. Boccaccini with Prof. Luigi Ambrosio, Director of CNR Chemistry Department, with Prof. Antonio Ravaglioli and Prof. Julietta V. Rau (CNR, Institute Structure of Matter, Rome), Conference chairs, and with Prof. Chiara Vitale Brovarone, Polytechnic of Turin, coordinator of EU project MOZART.
            (Click images to enlarge)


            BioMAH-RomeBioMAH-Rome-1Boccaccini-ZhengBoccaccini-BioMAH-RomeVitale-Boccaccini-Rome



 


          • Prof. Boccaccini at 3D Bioprinting Conference in Cambridge, UK
            Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini presented the lecture: "Enhancing alginate based hydrogels for tissue scaffolds and tumor models by 3D printing" at the Bioprinting & 3D Printing in the Life Sciences conference held on 13-14 October 2016 in Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, UK. The conference was organised by SelectBio. The presentation summarized our current activities on Biofabrication, some of which have been recently published [1-3]. Prof. Boccaccini met several of the leading researchers in the 3D bioprinting and biofabrication fields, including Prof. Brian Derby, University of Manchester, UK, Prof. Juergen Groll, University of Würzburg, Germany, and Prof. Will Shu, University of Strathclyde Glasgow, UK (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini). The next conference "3D-Bioprinting in Science" is scheduled to be held in May 2017 in Hannover, Germany, where Prof. Boccaccini will be a keynote speaker.

            [1] Zehnder, T., et al., Evaluation of an alginate–gelatine crosslinked hydrogel for bioplotting, Biofabrication 7 (2015) 025001

            [2] Leite, A. J., et al., Bioplotting of a bioactive alginate dialdehyde-gelatin composite hydrogel containing bioactive glass nanoparticles, Biofabrication 8 (2016) 035005

            [3] Ivanovska, J., et al., Biofabrication of 3D Alginate-Based Hydrogel for Cancer Research: Comparison of Cell Spreading, Viability, and Adhesion Characteristics of Colorectal HCT116 Tumor Cells, Tissue Engineering Part C: Methods. 22(7) (2016) 708-715.
            (Click images to enlarge)


            Aldo-Bioprinting-CambridgeBoccaccini-Groll-Derby-Bioprinting-CambridgeBoccaccini-Shu-Bioprinting



 


          • 4th TRANSFORMAS meeting in Erlangen
            The 4th scientific meeting of the TRANSFORMAS research group took place on 10th October 2016 at the Institute of Biomaterials in Erlangen, organised by Prof. A. R. Boccaccini. TRANSFORMAS ("Translational Applications for Material Science") is a research initiative between the Institute of Biomaterials, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Head: Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini) and the Department of Hand, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at BG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen (Plastic and Hand Surgery, Head: Prof. Ulrich Kneser). The main collaborative projects include the development of scaffolds and implants for bone regeneration as well as new biodegradable composites for wound healing applications, including soy protein based materials [1]. The members of TRANSFORMAS research group pictured: Dr. Matthias Schulte, Samira Tansaz, Valentina Miguez Pacheco, Dr. Rainer Detsch, PD Dr. Leila Harhaus, Dr. Ahmad Eweida, Gina Mackert, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kneser, Prof. Dr. Aldo R. Boccaccini. (Click image to enlarge)

            [1] S. Tansaz, et al., Hydrogel films and microcapsules based on soy protein isolate combined with alginate, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 133 (2016) 44358, doi: 10.1002/app.44358



            4th TRANSFORMAS meeting in Erlangen



 


          • Dr. Detsch elected secretary of German Biomaterials Society (DGBM)
            Dr. Rainer Detsch (Erlangen Institute of Biomaterials) was elected secretary of the executive board of the German Biomaterials Society (DGBM), at the general assembly of the society, held in Aachen on 30th September 2016. In the photo, the previous and new executive board members, from left to right: Dr. Andrea Ewald (treasurer, University Hospital of Würzburg), Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Jahnen-Dechent (new president, Helmholtz-Institute for Biomedical Engineering of the RWTH Aachen University, Aachen), Dr. Rainer Detsch (new secretary, Institute of Biomaterials, FAU), Prof. Anke Bernstein (new deputy chair, University Hospital of Freiburg), Prof. Stefan Rammelt (new member of the board "special tasks", University Hospital of TU Dresden TU Dresden), Prof. Regine Willumeit (former secretary, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht) and Prof. Matthias Epple (former board member for "special tasks", University Duisburg-Essen).



            DGBM-Aachen



 


          • Visit from Argentina
            On 4th October 2016, we received the visit of Prof. Cesar Barbero, National University of Rio Cuarto, Argentina. Prof. Barbero presented the seminar "GRAPHENE and CARBON NANOTUBES. DERIVATIVES AND ANALOGUES. NEW MATERIALS FOR TECHNOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS". We are planing collaborations with the research group of Prof. Barbero in the field of nanocomposites for drug delivery applications.
            (Click images to enlarge)



            boccaccini_barberoboccaccini_barbero-2barbero

 


          • Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini wins American Ceramic Society award
            Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini, Head, Institute of Biomaterials, is the winner of the prestigious "Arthur L. Friedberg Ceramic Engineering Tutorial and Lecture Award 2016" by the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) and National Institute of Ceramic Engineers (NICE) . The award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to ceramic engineering. Those contributions will have a technological basis that relates to the processing or manufacturing of ceramic products. The award will be presented at the ACerS Honors and Awards Banquet at MS&T 2016 conference joint with ACerS 118th Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, USA. Prof. Boccaccini will present the lecture and tutorial entitled: "Bioactive Glasses in Soft Tissue Repair. What Do We Know So Far?" Prof. Boccaccini is a Fellow of ACerS and a member of the ACerS Basic Science Division.

 


          • German Society for Biomaterials (DGBM) Annual Meeting in Aachen
            Prof. Boccaccini presented the lecture: "Boron doped bioactive glass scaffold with ALP functionalisation for bone tissue engineering: osteogenesis and angiogenesis studies" at the German Society for Biomaterials (DGBM) Annual Meeting, held in Aachen, Germany, on 28.09 - 01.10.2016 under leadership of Prof. Willi Jahnen-Dechent (RWTH Aachen) (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini). Our Institute was also represented by Dr. Rainer Detsch, who presented the poster: "Development of a biofabrication process for the manufacture of vessel like structures". Dr. Detsch (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini) was also elected secretary of DGBM at the General Assembly of DGBM. Prof. Boccaccini chaired the session Biomaterials-II together with Dr. Sandra Franz (Univ. of Leipzig).
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            Boccaccini-DetschDGBM-BoccacciniDGBM.Aachen

 

September 2016

 


          • Materials Science and Engineering congress (MSE 2016) in Darmstadt
            Prof. Boccaccini was a member of the MSE Experts Committee of the MSE 2016 congress held in Darmstadt, Germany, on 27-29 September 2016, organised by the German Materials Society (DGM). Together with Prof. K. Jandt (University of Jena), Prof. Boccaccini was responsible for the organization of Topic F "Biomaterials" at MSE 2016. He also organised the symposium F03 "Biomaterials Applications", in collaboration with Dr. Jonny Blaker (University of Manchester, UK) (pictured with Mr R. Greenhalgh, PhD student. Univ. of Manchester, and Prof. Boccaccini). Prof. Boccaccini also chaired the plenary session on Thursday 29th in which Prof. Cesar A. Barbero, (Univ. of Rio Cuarto, Argentina) (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini), delivered a plenary lecture. Our institute was also represented by Ms Svenja Heise, Muhammad Atiq Ur Rehman and Irem Unalan (PhD students, pictured with Prof. Boccaccini). Svenja's oral presentation was: "Electrophoretic deposition of multifunctional chitosan-bioactive glass composite coatings with drug delivery capability", Atiq's poster presentation was entitled: "Electrophoretic deposition of PEEK-bioactive glass composite coatings on 316L stainless steel: A design of experiment approach". Mr Mani Diba (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini), former Master student in our Institute and currently PhD student at Radboud-Universität Nijmegen, The Netherlands, also contributed to Symposium F03. Prof. Boccaccini also presented two oral contributions: "Nanocomposite bioactive scaffolds with multiple therapeutic ion delivery capability: progress and challenges" and "Synthesis and characterisation of bioactive glass nanoparticles incorporating biologically active ions ". At MSE 2016, it was announced that Argentina will be the partner country at the next congress (MSE 2018, Darmstadt, 25.09. - 27.09.2018) with Prof. Boccaccini leading the coordination of this part of the program, with collaboration of Dr. Flavio Soldera (Univ. of Saarland), Prof. Andres Lasagni (TU Dresden) and Dr. Fernando Lasagni (Center for Advanced Aerospace Technologies, Seville, Spain) (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini).
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            Atiq-Svenja-Irem-Boccaccini-MSE Blaker - Greenhalgh - Boccaccini-MSEBoccaccini-MSEBoccaccini- Barbero-MSEBoccaccini-DibaMSE

 


          • Prof. Boccaccini: Keynote speaker at Int. Workshop on Advanced Ceramics (IWAC-07) in Limoges, France
            The 7th International Workshop on Advanced Ceramics (IWAC-07) was held in Limoges, France on 26-28 September 2016, organized by "Laboratory of Science of Ceramic Processing and Surface Treatments” (SPCTS) and held under the auspices of the French Group of Ceramics. Professor Boccaccini presented the keynote lecture: "Bioactive Glasses in Soft Tissue Repair: Advances and Challenges". This series of international workshops was established in 2004 to promote collaboration between laboratories in Europe and Asia, in particular four universities are involved: Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan, Laboratory of Science of Ceramic Processing and Surface Treatments, Limoges, France, Imperial College London, UK and University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. Our Institute was also represented by Ms Barbara Myska (PhD student in EU project NanoHeal), Ms Francesca Ciraldo (PhD student in EU project CoACH) and Ms Seray Kaya (PhD student in EU project HyMedPoly), who presented posters with the latest results of their research projects [1-3]. The program of the meeting is available. In the photos organisers and participants at IWAC-07, including: Dr. F. Rossignol (Limoges), Prof. P. Thomas (Limoges), Prof. K. Fukuda (Nagoya), Dr. T. Fey (Erlangen), Prof. P. Colombo (Padova, Italy), Prof. Y. Iwamoto (Nagoya), Prof. A. R. Boccaccini (Erlangen), Prof. M. Nogami (Nagoya). Also pictured the participants from our Institute.

            [1] B. Myszka, J. A. Juhasz-Bortuzzo, A. R. Boccaccini, "Interfacial interactions in calcium carbonate materials".

            [2] F. E. Ciraldo, K. Schnepf, A. R. Boccaccini, "Design, processing and characterisation of mesoporous glass with therapeutic ion release capability"

            [3] S. Kaya, M. Cresswell, A. R. Boccaccini, “Processing and Characterization of Mesoporous Bioactive Silicate Glasses Doped with Biologically Active Ions”.
            (Click images to enlarge)



            PhD students-Boccaccini-Limoges Group-LimogesBoccaccini-Limoges

 


          • Prof. Boccaccini at Imperial College London
            On 21-23 September, Prof. Boccaccini visited the Department of Materials at Imperial College London (UK). Prof. Boccaccini is visiting professor at Imperial College London (LINK: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.boccaccini ) and we currently have several collaborations with colleagues in the Departments of Chemistry, Civil Engineering and Materials. Recent outputs of collaborations with colleagues at Imperial are listed below [1-3]. In the photos, Prof. Boccaccini with Prof. Julian Jones, in the background the plaque in memory of Prof. Larry Hench, the inventor of Bioglass, and former colleague at Imperial College London, who passed away in December 2015. The plaque is a present of the American Ceramic Society to the Department of Materials at Imperial. Prof. Boccaccini also met Dr. Rama Krishna Chinnam who completed his doctoral thesis in our Institute in 2014, and is currently a post.doctoral researcher at Imperial.
            (Click images to enlarge)

            [1] A. T. Bourtsalas et al., Initial studies on the cytotoxicity of ceramics prepared from dry discharge incinerator bottom ash dust, Ceramics International 42 (15), (2016) 17924-17927.

            [2] M. Diba et al., Electrophoretic deposition of graphene-related materials: A review of the fundamentals, Progress in Materials Science 82, (2016) 83-117.

            [3] P. Balasubramanian et al., Ion release, hydroxyapatite conversion, and cytotoxicity of Boron‐containing bioactive glass scaffolds. Int. J. Appl. Glass Sci. 7, (2016) 206-215.

            Boccaccini-Jones Boccaccini-Chinnam

 


          • Prof. Boccaccini: Plenary Speaker at 14th Int. Symposium on Functionally Graded Materials in Bayreuth
            Prof. Boccaccini was a plenary speaker at the 14th Int. Symposium on Functionally Graded Materials (ISFGMs) held in Bayreuth, Germany, on Sept. 18-21, 2016, chaired by Prof. Monika Willert-Porada (Univ. of Bayreuth). The title of his presentation was: Functionally Graded Materials in Biomedical Applications: Progress and Challenges. In the pictures: Prof. Boccaccini with Prof. Omer van der Biest, KU Leuven, Belgium, Dr. Martina Lorenzetti, Josef Stefan Institute, Slovenia, and Dr. Júlio C. M. Souza, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil. Prof. Boccaccini also chaired the session: Functionally Graded Amorphous and Semi-Crystalline Materials.
            (Click images to enlarge)


            Boccaccini-Van Der Biest Boccaccini-Lorenzetti Boccaccini-Souza

 


          • BAYLAT representatives visit the Institute of Biomaterials
            On 15th September, we received the visit of Dr. Irma de Melo-Reiners and Dipl.-Pol. Luise Freitag representatives of BAYLAT (Bavarian University Centre for LatinAmerica) (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini). The objectives of BAYLAT are directly related to the university internationalitation strategy of the State of Bavaria. BAYLAT plans and execulte activities in cooperation with Latin American institutions in the framework of educational, academic and research cooperations which include a wide range of programs of exchanges at student, academic and professorial level between Bavarian universities and Latin American academic institutions. Prof. Boccaccini serves in the Board of BAYLAT as substitute director. (Click images to enlarge)

            BAYLAT Representatives

 


          • Prof. Boccaccini in the Editorial Board of new Elsevier journal
            Prof. Boccaccini will serve in the Editorial Board of the new journal Materials Today Chemistry of the publisher Elsevier. The journal is the latest addition to the successful family of journals: "Materials Today". Materials Today Chemistry provides a forum for the discussion of research that is helping progress in the field through new discoveries and advanced techniques. As part of the Materials Today family, Materials Today Chemistry will offer authors rigorous peer review, rapid decisions, and high visibility.

 


          • Yuyun Yang wins the 2015 Frans Habraken Best Paper Award: Congratulations!
            Yuyun Yang, who is carrying out her PhD thesis at the Institute of Biomaterials, supervised by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini and co-supervised by Prof. Sanna Virtannen (Institute of Surface Science and Corrosion), has won the 2015 Frans Habraken Best Paper Award of the journal Applied Surface Science. The paper “Yang, Y., et al., In vitro study of polycaprolactone/bioactive glass composite coatings on corrosion and bioactivity of pure Mg” (Applied Surface Science, Volume 355, 2015, 832-841) was selected from close to 40 nominees. The Frans Habraken Best Paper Award was initiated in memory of Professor Frans Habraken, who was Editor of Applied Surface Science, from 1998 to 2011. The award is presented to the first author, aged 30 or younger, of the best paper published in the journal in the year 2015. The award consists of a certificate and EUR 1,000. The announcement in the journal's webpage is here. Congratulations Yuyun !


 


          • Visit of Prof. Josefina Ballarre, INTEMA, Argentina
            In the week of 11-18 September 2016 we received the visit of Dr. Josefina Ballarre, researcher and professor at National Institute of Materials Technology (INTEMA), University of Mar del Plata, Argentina, in the framework of the I.DEAR (Ingenieure Deutschland-Argentinien), program funded by the German-Argentinean University Centre (DAHZ). The program enables master students of Materials Science and Engineering and Nanotechnology from the two German universities (FAU and Saarland Univ.) to spend one year in Argentina. The same offer have Argentinian master students from Mar del Plata who can spend one year at FAU or Saarland Univ. The year abroad is completely funded by the program. The program also funds short stays of senior researchers and lecturers from FAU in Mar del Plata and viceversa. We are collaborating with Prof. Ballarre's group in the area of bioactive coatings for orthopedic applications. Professor Ballarre presented the seminar: "Surface modification and bioactivation of metallic implants" at the FAU Institute of Biomaterials. (Click images to enlarge)

            Boccaccini-Ballare Prof. Ballare's talk Prof. Ballare's talk Prof. Ballare's talk Prof. Ballare's talk Prof. Ballare's talk

 


 


          • Prof. Boccaccini at SGT Centenary Conference in Sheffield
            Prof. Boccaccini was a member of the International Advisory Board of the SGT Centenary Conference & ESG2016, held in Sheffield, UK, on 4th - 8th September 2016. He co-organised, with Prof. E. Zanotto (CeRTEV), Univ. of San Carlos, Brazil), the symposium "Glasses in Healthcare - Hench Memorial Symposium" to honor the memory of the late Prof. Larry Hench, the inventor of Bioglass. Prof. Edgar Zanotto, Prof. David Pye (Alfred University, USA) and Prof. Boccaccini introduced the symposium with focused presentations to remember Prof. Hench. Prof. J. Jones (Imperial College London) delivered the first invited talk of the symposium (Profs. Zanotto, Pye and Jones are pictured with Prof. Boccaccini). In addition, Prof. Boccaccini presented the lecture: “Osteogenic differentiation and angiogenic potential of alkaline phosphatase functionalized boron-based bioactive glass scaffolds” (co-author: Dr. P. Balasubramanian), and the poster "Development and characterization of niobium ion releasing silicate bioactive glasses" (co-author: Ms V. Miguez Pacheco). The conference program is available. At SGT 100, Prof. Boccaccini met several collaborators and colleagues, many of them pictured with him, including: Prof. Leena Hupa (Abo Akademi Finland) and Prof. Delia Brauer (Univ. of Jena, Germany) co-editors with Prof. Boccaccini of the new book (in preparation, to be published by Royal Soc. of Chemistry): "Bioactive Glasses : Fundamentals, Technology and Applications", Dr. M. Ojovan (IAEA Vienna, Austria), also member, with Prof. Boccaccini, of the Technical Committee 05 "Waste Vitrification" of the International Commission on Glass, Prof. Dusan Galusek and Dr. Dagmar Galuskova (Alexander Dubček University of Trenčín, Slovakia), partners in EU project FunGlass, Prof. R. Conradt, president of the German Glass Society (DGG), Prof. E. Bernardo (Univ. of Padova, Italy), collaborator in EU project CoACH, and Dr. Marina Trevelin (Univ. of San Carlos, Brazil), former visitor of our Institute.
            (Click images to enlarge)

            Bernardo-BoccacciniBoccaccini-PosterBoccaccini-speakingConradt-BoccacciniGalusek-BoccacciniLeena-Delia-AldoOjovan-BoccacciniPye-Jones-Boccaccini-ZanottoTrevelin-Boccaccini

 


 


 

August 2016

 


          • Doctoral thesis success: Preethi Balasubramanian
            On 30th August 2016 Preethi Balasubramanian successfully defended her doctoral thesis in the field of bioactive glass scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, which was carried out under the supervision of Professor Aldo R. Boccaccini at our Institute. In addition to Prof. Boccaccini, Prof. Jerome Chevalier (Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon Laboratory of Materials: Engineering and Science (MATEIS), Prof. Nicolas Vogel (Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, FAU), and Prof. Erik Bitzek (Chair for General Materials Science, FAU), were the members of the doctoral defense committee. Preethi developed new compositions of bioactive glasses incorporating Boron and establish several methods to modify the surface of 3D scaffolds made from bioactive glasses with different B content, as remarked by Prof. Boccaccini. Preethi carried out her research activities in the framework of the EU ITN project BioBone. In addition to the research articles published from the results of her thesis (for example [1]), Preethi co-authored a comprehensive review paper on Zn-containing bioactive glasses, published in Biomedical Glasses [2]. We congratulate Preethi on her success.

            [1] Balasubramanian, P., et al., Ion Release, Hydroxyapatite Conversion, and Cytotoxicity of Boron-Containing Bioactive Glass Scaffolds, Int. J. Appl. Glass Sci., 7 (2016) 206–215.

            [2] Balasubramanian, P., et al., Zinc-containing bioactive glasses for bone regeneration, dental and orthopedic applications, Biomed. Glasses 1 (2015) 51-69.
            (Click images to enlarge)

            defense_balasubramanian-1defense_balasubramanian-2defense_balasubramanian-3defense_balasubramanian-4defense_balasubramanian-5defense_balasubramanian-6

 


          • Bioadaptive Coatings on Mg Alloys: DFG project meeting in Erlangen
            The progress meeting of the DFG funded collaborative project "Bioadaptive Coatings on Mg Alloys" was held on 29th August 2016 at the Institute of Biomaterials, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, hosted by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini. This project is a collaborative effort of the Institute of Surface Science and Corrosion of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Prof. S. Virtanen), the Julius Wolff Institute and Center for Musculoskeletal Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Prof. F. Witte) and the FAU Institute of Biomaterials (Prof. A. R. Boccaccini). At the Institute of Biomaterials, the main research task is the application of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) to develope bioadaptive protective coatings on Mg substrates. A review paper on the application of natural polymers as protective coatings on Mg and Mg alloys, written by the Erlangen members of the consortium, has been recently published [1] and the latest results were presented at the 67th Int. Conference of the International Society for Electrochemistry (ISE), held in The Hague (The Netherlands) on 21-26 August 2016 [2]. (All investigators participating at the meeting pictured).

            [1] S. Heise, S. Virtanen, A. R. Boccaccini, Tackling Mg alloy corrosion by natural polymer coatings - A review, Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A (2016) in press.

            [2] S. Heise et al., Development of a biodegradable natural polymer/bioactive glass coating for Mg alloys using electrophoretic deposition, Poster presentation at 67th Int. Conference of the International Society for Electrochemistry (ISE)
            (Click image to enlarge)

            Bioadaptive Coatings on Mg Alloys: DFG project meeting in Erlangen

 


          • Prof. Boccaccini: invited speaker at 6th Int. Congress on Ceramics in Dresden
            Prof. Boccaccini was one of the invited speakers at the 6th Int. Congress on Ceramics (ICC-6) held on August 21-25, 2016 in Dresden, Germany. He presented the lecture "Novel applications of bioactive glasses in tissue engineering: vascularisation and soft tissue repair" in the Symposium "Bioceramics and medical applications" in the session chaired by Prof. J. Chevalier (INSA, Lyon, France) and Prof. E. Saiz (Imperial College London, UK), both pictured with Prof. Boccaccini. The other invited speaker in the session was Prof. W. Hoeland (Ivoclar Vivadent AG, Liechtenstein), also photographed with Prof. Boccaccini. The session was dedicated to silicate bioceramics, including bioactive glasses, Profs. Hoeland and Boccaccini are the editors of the eBook "Inorganic Biomaterials" published by Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology and Frontiers in Materials. (Click images to enlarge)

            6th Int. Congress on Ceramics 6th Int. Congress on Ceramics

 


          • International Society of Electrochemistry Annual Meeting in The Hague
            The 67th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) was held on 21 - 26 August 2016 in The Hague, the Netherlands. Prof. Boccaccini chaired the organisation of symposium 14 (S.14): "Combined Electro and Electrophoretic Deposition for Advanced Materials Synthesis" in collaboration with Dr. Begona Ferrari, CSIS Madrid, Spain, Prof. Arjan Mol, Delft University of Technology, the Netherland, Prof. Marcel J. Rost, Leiden University, the Netherlands, Prof. Mary P. Ryan, Imperial College London, UK and Prof. Giovanni Zangari, University of Virginia, USA. The symposium was sponsored by ISE Division 4, Electrochemical Materials Science, and featured keynote and invited speakers as well as contributed talks and posters. Our Institute was represented also by Svenja Heise (PhD student) (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini) who presented the poster: "Development of a biodegradable natural polymer/bioactive glass coating for Mg alloys using electrophoretic deposition". Prof. Boccaccini presented the poster "Electrophoretic and electrodeposition in biofabrication approaches". In the pictures Prof. Boccaccini with Prof. Sanna Virtanen (Univ. of Erlangen-Nuremberg) (Keynote speaker in symposium 13), Prof. G. Zangari (Chair elect, ISE Division 4). In the other picture Prof. Boccaccini with Dr. Begona Ferrari, Prof. Claudine Filiâtre, and Dr. Laxmidhar Besra (invited and keynote speakers, respectively, in the electrophoretic deposition session of S. 14). The program of the conference is available.
            (Click images to enlarge)

            67th Annual Meeting of the ISE: Prof. Boccaccini with Svenja Heise 67th Annual Meeting of the ISE: Prof. Boccaccini with Prof. Virtanen and Prof. Zangari 67th Annual Meeting of the ISE: Prof. Boccaccini with Dr. Ferrari, Prof. Filiâtre and Dr. Besra67th Annual Meeting of the ISE: Prof. Boccaccini with Dr. Ferrari and Dr. Besra

 


 


          • Visitors from Mexico and Colombia
            On 19th August, we received the visit of Prof. Juan Munoz Saldana (Head of CENAPROT National Laboratory) and Ms. Jennifer Hermann (international Master student), of Centro Nacional de Proyección Térmica (CENAPROT), Querétaro Unit of Cinvestav (both pictured with Prof. Boccaccini). We are planing a new research collaboration with the group of Prof. Munoz Saldana in the field of bioactive ceramics and composites for orthopedic applications. The visitors took the opportunity to tour our new building and research facilities in Erlangen-West.
            (Click images to enlarge)

            visit of Prof. Juan Munoz Saldana and Ms. Jennifer Hermann Colleagues from Mexico

 


 


          • Researchers from China visited our new Institute
            In the framework of the academic exchange program "Fabrication and osteogenesis of hierarchical scaffold of mesoporous Mg-doped bioactive glass/PBS composites" with the Engineering Research Center for Biomedical Materials of Ministry of Education in East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China, we received on 16th August the visit of Prof. Jie Wei together with PhD students Zhaoying Wu and Jue Zhang, who have spent a longer research period in our Institute. The project is supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The visitors took the opportunity to tour our new building and research facilities in Erlangen-West. We are currently collaborating with the group of Prof. Wei in the development and characterization of metallic ion doped bioactive glasses and their application in bone tissue scaffolds. Kai Zheng (PhD student) is leading the participation of our Institute in this collaboration.
            (Click images to enlarge)

            visit of Prof. Jie Weivisit of Prof. Jie Weivisit of Prof. Jie Weivisit of Prof. Jie Wei

 


          • Our new "Biofabrication" paper published.
            Our paper entitled: "Bioplotting of a bioactive alginate dialdehyde-gelatin composite hydrogel containing bioactive glass nanoparticles", a study carried out in collaboration with the group of Prof. Joao Mano, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Portugal, has been recently published in the journal Biofabrication (IF: 4.702) [1]. In this investigation, for the first time, sol-gel derived bioactive glass nanoparticles were incorporated in alginate dialdehyde-gelatin hydrogels to create scaffolds for bone tissue engineering by the novel bioplotting approach developed in our Institute.

            [1] Leite ÁJ, Sarker B, Zehnder T, Silva R, Mano JF, Boccaccini AR, Bioplotting of a bioactive alginate dialdehyde-gelatin composite hydrogel containing bioactive glass nanoparticles, Biofabrication 8(3):035005 (2016)


          • Visit of Prof. Bernhard Hensel (Max Schaldach Endowed Professorship for Biomedical Technology)
            On 11th August 2016 we received the visit of Prof. Bernhard Hensel (Max Schaldach Endowed Professorship for Biomedical Technology), Department of Physics, Univ. of Erlangen-Nuremberg) and members of his team, Dr. Alexander Rzany, Ms Tina Pieger (PhD student) and Mr Tobias Igelspacher (PhD student). The visitors presented the seminar: "Implant Materials for Interventional Cardiology". Given the complementary character of our research interests in the field of natural scaffolds and synthetic biomaterials and their combinations for tissue engineering, we are planning close collaboration with the group of Prof. Hensel in the coming months.
            (Click images to enlarge)

            visit of Prof. Bernhard Henselvisit of Prof. Bernhard Henselvisit of Prof. Bernhard Henselvisit of Prof. Bernhard Hensel

 

          • Prof. Boccaccini in the list of most cited researchers in Materials Science and Engineering 2016
            Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini is among the top 300 researchers worldwide in the field of materials science and engineering (MSE) included in the 2016 list ranked by the total citations of their papers. The citation data are based on the Elsevier Scopus database, as reported in this site, where the ranking data of the highly cited authors is compiled.

 

July 2016

 

 

          • EU project ReBioStent: meeting in Erlangen
            The progress meeting of the FP7 European project "Reinforced Bioresorbable Biomaterials for Therapeutic Drug Eluting Stents" (ReBioStent) was hosted by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini in our Institute on 28-29 July 2016. This project is funded within the EU FP7 Theme "Biomaterials for Advanced Therapies and Medical Devices in the neurological/neuromuscular or cardiovascular fields". The consortium is developing resorbable cardiovascular stents that should replace current state of the art devices. Our institute is involved in the synthesis and characterisation of a range of suitable functionalised nanomaterials for fabrication of biodegradable stents. Ms Elena Boccardi (PhD student) and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini participated at the meeting representing our Institute.
            (Click images to enlarge)

            rebiostent_grouprebiostent-1rebiostent-2rebiostent-3

 

          • Prof. Boccaccini in the list of most cited researchers in Materials Science and Engineering 2016
            Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini is among the top 300 researchers worldwide in the field of materials science and engineering (MSE) included in the 2016 list ranked by the total citations of their papers. The citation data are based on the Elsevier Scopus database, as reported in this site, where the ranking data of the highly cited authors is compiled.

 

 

          • Visit from Heidelberg
            On 25th July we received the visit of Dr. Fabian Westhauser and Prof. Arash Moghaddam of the Heidelberg Trauma Research Group (HTRG) (Head: Prof. Gerhard Schmidmaier), Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, Center of Orthopedics, Traumatology, and Spinal Cord Injury, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany. We are currently collaborating with the HTRG in the field of in vivo characterisation of bioactive glass based scaffolds intended for bone tissue engineering. The scaffolds are fabricated by the well known foam replica technique [1]. The paper with the first results of our collaboration has been just published [2].

            [1] Q. Z. Chen, et al., 45S5 Bioglass®-derived glass–ceramic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, Biomaterials 27 (2006), 2414-2425.

            [2] F. Westhauser, et al., Three-dimensional polymer coated 45S5-type bioactive glass scaffolds seeded with human mesenchymal stem cells show bone formation in vivo, J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Med. 27 (2016) 119.
            (Click image to enlarge)

            guests from Heidelberg

 

          • Doctoral thesis success: Namir S. Raddaha
            On 18th July 2016 Namir S. Raddaha successfully defended his doctoral thesis in the field of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of organic-inorganic bioactive coatings for biomedical applications, which was carried out under the supervision of Professor Aldo R. Boccaccini at our Institute. In addition to Prof. Boccaccini, Prof. Sanna Virtanen (Institute for Surface Science and Corrosion, FAU ), Prof. Wolfgang Goldmann (Biophysics Group, FAU), and Prof. Stephan E. Wolf (Chair for Glass and Ceramics, FAU), were the members of the doctoral defense committee. Namir was one of the first researchers in our Institute who worked on electrophoretic deposition of composite coatings, contributing to the establishment of the EPD technique in our Institute, as highlighted by Prof. Boccaccini. Namir carried out his research activities in the framework of a fellowship from the Iraqi government. He pioneered the EPD of BN-chitosan coatings, results which have already been published [1]. We congratulate Namir on achieving his doctoral degree and wish him all the best in his future career.

            [1] Raddaha, N. S., Cordero-Arias, L., Cabanas-Polo, S., Virtanen, S., Roether, J. A., Boccaccini, A. R., Electrophoretic Deposition of Chitosan/h-BN and Chitosan/h-BN/TiO2 Composite Coatings on Stainless Steel (316L) Substrates, Materials 7 (2014) 1814-1829.
            (Click images to enlarge)

            defense_raddaha-1defense_raddaha-2defense_raddaha-3defense_raddaha-4defense_raddaha-5defense_raddaha-6

 

          • Visit from Argentina, I.DEAR program
            On 21st July we received the visit of Prof. Silvia Simison, affiliated with the Institute for Research in Science and Technology of Materials (INTEMA), at National University of Mar del Plata, Argentina, and of Dr. Flavio Soldera, Chair of Functional Materials, Saarland University. Prof. Boccaccini, Prof. Simison and Dr. Soldera are the coordinators of the student exchange program in materials science and engineering within the scheme I.DEAR (Ingenieure Deutschland-Argentinien), funded by the German-Argentinean University Centre (DAHZ), which enables master students of Materials Science and Engineering and Nanotechnology from the German universities (FAU and Saarland Univ.) to spend one year in Argentina. Students from the FAU Department of Materials Science and Engineering are eligible to spend the first 6 months at National University of Mar del Plata taking courses, while in the last 6 months they carry out a research project in a research institute or in industry in Argentina. The same offer has Argentinian master students from Mar del Plata who can spend one year at FAU or Saarland Univ. The year abroad is completely funded by the program. The program also funds short stays of senior researchers from FAU in Mar del Plata and viceversa. During the visit, Profs. Simison, Boccaccini and Dr. Soldera discussed the progress of the program, already in its second year, and planned future joint activities. For detailed information please contact Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini.
            (Click image to enlarge)

            boccaccini_simieson_soldera

 

          • Prof. Boccaccini gives lecture at MURCE Inauguration Symposium
            The inauguration symposium of the Muscle Research Center Erlangen (MURCE) took place at the Medical Valley building, Erlangen, on 21-22 July 2016. The symposium was organised by Prof. O. Friedrich (MURCE coordinator), Prof. B. Fabry, Prof. W. Goldmann (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini), Prof. F. Engel and Prof. R. Schroeder. Prof. Boccaccini presented the lecture: "Bioactive Scaffolds for Cardiac Muscle Regeneration" in the session "Muscle Technologies and Biomedical Engineering". The program of the symposium is available. The latest research results of our group in the field of scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering, in collaboration with the group of Prof. F. Engel, Experimental Renal and Cardiovascular Research have been published recently [1].

            [1] M. Tallawi, et al., Novel PGS/PCL electrospun fiber mats with patterned topographical features for cardiac patch applications, Mater. Sci. Eng. C, 69, 2016, 569-576.
            (Click image to enlarge)

            MURCE Inauguration

 

          • European project HyMedPoly meeting and Workshop in London
            The progress meeting of the H2020-MSCA-ITN project "Drug-free antibacterial hybrid biopolymers for medical applications" (HyMedPoly), organised by Prof. Ipsita Roy, University of Westminster, London, UK, (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini) was held on 18-20 July 2016 in London. The PhD students of the FAU Institute of Biomaterials involved in this project, Agata Lapa, Seray Kaya, Muhammad Maqbool, Binh Phan and Lukas Gritsch, pictured with Prof. Boccaccini, attended the meeting. Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini was also an invited speaker at the Workshop "Biomaterials in Medicine : New concepts of drug-free antibacterial therapies", which was held at New Cavendish Campus, University of Westminster, London, UK, in the framework of the HyMedPoly project meeting. Prof. Boccaccini presented the lecture: “Biologically active ions in biomedicine, including antibacterial applications".
            (Click images to enlarge)

            HyMedPolyHyMedPoly-group-LondonHyMedPoly-workshop-LondonBoccaccini-Roy

 

          • We welcome our international visitors
            During the summer of 2016 we are hosting numerous international visitors, including senior researchers, PhD students and undergraduate visiting students, e.g. Erasmus exchange students. In the picture: Kenan Dogru (Kocatepe University, Turkey), Dr. Egemen Avcu (Kocaeli University, Turkey), Fatih Erdem Baştan (Sakarya University, Turkey), Alessandro Leoni, (University Campus Biomedico, Rome, Italy), Dr. Maizlinda Izwana Idris (Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia), Zhaoying Wu (East China University of Science and Technology, China), Monika Furko (Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary), Prof. A. R. Boccaccini, Jue Zhang (East China University of Science and Technology, China), Dr. Hasan Zuhudi Abdullah (Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia), front raw: Yasemin Yıldıran Avcu (Kocaeli University, Turkey), Rocio Tejido (Colorobbia, Italy), Martina Tortorici (Polytechnic of Turin, Italy), Ipek Kocak (Middle East Technical University, Turkey), Zuzanna Krysiak (Warsaw University of Technology, Poland) and Aiah A. El-Rashidy (Cairo University, Egypt).
            (Click image to enlarge)

            visitors

 

          • End of Summer Term 2016
            The end of the summer term 2016 was marked by the traditional Summer BBQ of the Institute of Biomaterials which took place on 14th July. Prof. Boccaccini highlighted the international character of the Institute: nineteen nationalities were represented at this meeting, including our visiting students and academic visitors. (Click images to enlarge)

            Summer BBQ (1) Summer BBQ Summer BBQ (3) Summer BBQ (4) Summer BBQ (5)

 

 

Logo FEMS

 

          • Doctoral thesis success: Anahi Philippart
            On 6th July 2016 Anahi Philippart successfully defended her doctoral thesis in the field of mesoporous bioactive glasses for bone tissue engineering, which was carried out under the supervision of Professor Aldo R. Boccaccini at our Institute. In addition to Prof. Boccaccini, Prof. Maria Vallet-Regi (Department of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain ), Prof. Wilhelm Schwieger (Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, FAU), and Prof. Matthias Goeken (Chair for General Materials Science, FAU), were the members of the doctoral defense committee. Anahi was the first researcher at our Institute who worked on mesoporous materials and she established the technology to synthesise mesoporous bioactive glasses, as highlighted by Prof. Boccaccini. Anahi carried out most of her research activities in the framework of the EU ITN project GLACERCO. In addition to the research articles published from the results of her thesis (for example [1]), Anahi also co-authored a comprehensive review paper on the development of polymer coated bioactive glass scaffolds [2]. We congratulate Anahi on achieving her doctoral degree and wish her all the best in her future career.

            [1] S. Cabanas-Polo, A. Philippart, E. Boccardi, J. Hazur, A.R. Boccaccini, Facile production of porous bioactive glass scaffolds by the foam replica technique combined with sol–gel/electrophoretic deposition, Ceram. Int. 42 (2016) 5772-5777.

            [2] A. Philippart, et al., Toughening and functionalization of bioactive ceramic and glass bone scaffolds by biopolymer coatings and infiltration: a review of the last 5 years. Expert Rev Med Devices 12 (2015) 93-111.

            defense_anahi-1defense_anahi-2defense_anahi-4defense_anahi-6

 

          • Inauguration of our new building in Erlangen-West
            The official inauguration and symbolic hand-over of the key of our new building in Erlangen-West (Ulrich-Schalk-Street 3, 91056 Erlangen) took place on 8th July 2016 with the presence of authorities of the state of Bavaria, the city of Erlangen and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), including, among others, FAU vice president Prof. Dr. Günter Leugering, Mr Bernd Sibler, State Secretary in Bavarian State Ministry for Education, Science and the Arts, Mr. Joachim Herrmann, Bavarian Minister of the Interior, for Building and Transport, Dr. Florian Janik, major of the city of Erlangen, Prof. Dr. Peter Greil, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kießling, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Natural Scienes, Mr. Dieter Maußner, Planning Director of the State Construction Office Erlangen-Nürnberg, in addition to numerous guests. The new laboratory complex is a fundamental component of the interdisciplinary Biotechnology Campus on the 9,000 m² area in Ulrich-Schalk-Str., an investment of 12.4 million Euro from the state of Bavaria, complementing the existing buildings at the site, which house offices and seminar rooms for the scientific personnel and international visitors. Three Institutes will perform research in this site, namely, our Institute (the Institute of Biomaterials), the Institute of Medical Biotechnology and geoscientists of the Institute of Endogenous Geodynamics. World class laboratories for materials science and biotechnology, processing of novel bio(nano) materials as well as cell biology laboratories with safety levels S1 and S2 complete the facilities available for our Institute at this Campus. Further information (in German) is available, including the report from the local press.

            Prof. Boccaccini, Dr. Will, Dr. Liveraniinauguration ceremonyProf. Leugeringinauguration ceremony - guestsProf. Greil, Dean Technical FacultyProf. Friedrich, Prof Boccacciniinauguration ceremony - guests with keyW.Nussel, MdL, Prof. Friedrich, Prof. Boccaccini, Dr. Janik, Bernd Sibler, State Secretary in Bavarian State Ministry for EducationDr. Detsch, Prof. Boccaccini, Minister of Inner affairs J.Herrmann, B. Sibler, MdL, D. Maußner, t.Schöck, Prof. Leugeringinauguration laboratory tour 1inauguration laboratory tour 2inauguration laboratory tour 3inauguration laboratory tour electrospinnig 1inauguration laboratory tour electrospinnig 2new building Ulrich Schalk Straßenew building Ulrich Schalk Straßenew building Ulrich Schalk Straße - offices

 

          • Prof. Maria Vallet-Regi visits the Institute of Biomaterials
            On 5-6 July 2016 we welcomed Prof. Maria Vallet-Regi in our Institute. Maria Vallet Regi is Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Head of the Research Group Smart Biomaterials in the Department of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry of the Faculty of Pharmacy at Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain). We collaborate with Prof. Vallet-Regi's group in the framework of the EU project (Horizon 2020) "MesopOrous matrices for localiZed pH-triggered releAse of theRapeuTic ions and drugs" (MOZART). Following our joint presentation at the World Biomaterials Congress (WBC 2016), in Montreal, Canada, last May [1], other outputs of the collaboration in the field of ion doped bioactive glasses will be published soon. We also collaborate with Prof. Vallet-Regi in the framework of the European Network of Excellence for the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporotic Fractures, “Ageing”.

            [1] A. R. Boccaccini, et al., Increase in VEGF secretion induced by particles of porous silica glasses containing CuO and SrO, Poster presented at 10th World Biomaterials Congress, Montreal, Canada, 17-22 May 2016.

            boccaccini-vallet regi

 

 

          • Prof. Boccaccini will be an invited speaker at International Workshop in London
            Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini will be an invited speaker at the Workshop "Biomaterials in Medicine : New concepts of drug-free antibacterial therapies", to be held at New Cavendish Campus, University of Westminster, London, UK, on 20th July 2016. He will present the lecture: “Biologically active ions in biomedicine, including antibacterial applications". The workshop, organised by Prof. Ipsita Roy, University of Westminster, is part of the H2020-MSCA-ITN project "Drug-free antibacterial hybrid biopolymers for medical applications" (HyMedPoly) of which our Institute is an academic partner.

 

          • Prof. Boccaccini: invited speaker at UKSB conference in London
            Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini was one of the invited speakers at the 15th Annual United Kingdom Society for Biomaterials (UKSB)conference, held at Regent Street Cinema, University of Westminster, London, on 30th June - 1st July 2016, chaired by Prof. Ipsita Roy (Univ. of Westminster). Prof. Boccaccini presented the lecture "Broadening the applications of Hench’s bioactive glasses by metal ion doping: angiogenesis and soft tissue repair" in the special session in memory of the late Prof. Larry Hench, the inventor of Bioglass. The other speaker in the session was Prof. J. R. Jones of Imperial College London. Prof. Boccaccini gave also an oral presentation in the session: Science for Industry 1 – REBIOSTENT SESSION, a focused session dedicated to the EU FP7 project ReBioStent, entitled "Polymer composites containing ordered mesoporous silica with drug delivery capability" and he was also co-author of 2 poster contributions, namely: "The application of the polymer poly(glycerol sebacate) in the development of cardiac patches for mending the infarcted heart" with Dr. Ranjana Rai, former postdoctoral researcher in our Institute, and "Biodegradable SCL-PHA composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering" with Ms Christy Thomas (PhD student at University of Westminster, UK) and Prof. Ipsita Roy. More details about the UKSB 2016 meeting are available here. In the photos Prof. Boccaccini with Prof. Julian R. Jones (Imperial College London), Prof. Ipsita Roy (Univ. of Westminster), Dr. Ranjana Rai (Univ. of Westminster) and Ms Christy Thomas (PhD student, University of Westminster).
            (Click images to enlarge)

            Boccaccini-presentation-UKSB Ipsita-Aldo Christy-Aldo Julian Jones-AldoRanjana-AldoBoccaccini-UKSB

 

June 2016

 

 

          • Prof. Boccaccini elected member (academician) of the World Academy of Ceramics
            Aldo R. Boccaccini, Professor and Head of the Institute of Biomaterials at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, has been elected member (academician) in the World Academy of Ceramics (WAC). Academicians of WAC are individuals who have made internationally significant contributions to the advancement of ceramics culture, science, technology, industry or art. Elections to the World Academy of Ceramics are held on a regular basis and the current number of Academicians worldwide is limited to 200. The official ceremony of induction took place at the Forum 2016 of the World Academy of Ceramics that was held in Ravenna, Italy, on June 14-17, 2016. In the picture Prof. Boccaccini receiving the award certificate from Prof. Gary L. Messing (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, USA), president of the WAC advisory board. In the photos all new academicians at the induction ceremony, and Prof. Boccaccini with other WAC members, including Prof. William E. Lee (Imperial College London, UK), Prof. Monica Ferraris (Polytechnic of Turin, Italy), Prof. Victor C Pandolfelli (Federal Universtiy of Sao Carlos, Brazil) and Prof. Paolo Colombo (University of Padova, Italy). The information has been published in Ceramic Tech Today of the American Ceramic Society.
            (Click images to enlarge)

            WAC Board Prof. Boccaccini, Prof. Colombo Prof. Boccaccini, Prof. Pandolfelli Prof. Lee, Prof. Boccaccini Prof. Ferraris, Prof. Boccaccini Prof. Boccaccini, Prof. Messing

 

          • First meeting in our new building in Erlangen-West
            Staff, students and academic visitors of the Institute of Biomaterials were present at the general meeting which took place, for the first time, in our new premises in Erlangen-West (Ulrich-Schalk-Street 3, 91056 Erlangen) on 21st June 2016. It was an opportunity for several members of the Institute to visit for the first time the brand new laboratory facilities in the new building at the Erlangen Bioresearch Centre. Prof. Boccaccini explained that the new laboratory complex is a fundamental component of the interdisciplinary Biotechnology Campus on the 9,000 m² area in Ulrich-Schalk-Str., complementing the existing buildings at the site, which house offices and seminar rooms for the scientific personnel and international visitors. Three Institutes will perform research in this site, namely, our Institute (the Institute of Biomaterials), the Institute of Medical Biotechnology and geoscientists of the Institute of Endogenous Geodynamics. World class laboratories for materials science and biotechnology as well as cell biology laboratories with safety levels S1 and S2 complete the facilities at this Campus. The complex will be officially inaugurated on 8th July 2016 with the presence of authorities of the state of Bavaria, the city of Erlangen and of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.
            (Click images to enlarge)

            1st_get_together_in_uss-11st_get_together_in_uss-21st_get_together_in_uss-41st_get_together_in_uss-5USS-building

 

          • CoACH EU project: visit from Italy
            On 22nd June 2016, we received the visit of representatives of the company Sasil, S.p.A., Brusnengo, BI, Italy, industrial partners in the Horizon 2020 EU Marie Sklodowska Curie European Training Network (ETN) project "Advanced glasses, Composites And Ceramics for High growth Industries - (CoACH)". We collaborate with Sasil S.p.A. specifically in the development of novel formulations of geopolymer materials considering industrial waste. In the picture Mr. L. Ramon, CEO, Ms Nicoletta Toniolo (PhD student on the project), Prof. A. R. Boccaccini, and Mr. Piero Ercole, Sasil S.p.A. consultant.
            (Click image to enlarge)

            ramon-toniolo_boccaccini_ercole

 

 

          • Special Issue to honor Prof. Larry L. Hench published in Int. J. Appl. Glass Sci.
            The special issue to honor the late Prof. Larry L. Hench, the inventor of bioglass, has been published in the Int. Journal of Applied Glass Science. As stated by the editors, Prof. David Pye and Mario Affatigato, the life and contributions of one of the great glass scientists have been ably chronicled, including a letter by Dr. Steve W. Freiman, and the lead article by Dr. David C. Greenspan. Prof. Boccaccini was a guest editor of this Festschrift to honor Prof. Hench and our Institute has contributed two papers to this special issue [1, 2]. The lifetime's work of Prof. Larry Hench will inspire future generations of researchers in the areas of glass and medicine. A tribute to Prof. Hench is published in the webpage of the American Ceramic Society.

            [1] Trevelin, M., et al., Novel Double-Layered Conduit Containing Highly Bioactive Glass Fibers for Potential Nerve Guide Application, International Journal of Applied Glass Science, 7 (2016) 183–194.

            [2] Balasubramanian, P., et al., Ion Release, Hydroxyapatite Conversion, and Cytotoxicity of Boron-Containing Bioactive Glass Scaffolds, Int. J. Appl. Glass Sci., 7 (2016) 206–215.

 

 

          • Professor Aldo R. Boccaccini receives Turner Award from International Commission on Glass
            Professor Aldo R. Boccaccini, Head of the Institute of Biomaterials at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, received the Turner Award 2016 from The International Commission on Glass (ICG) in recognition of his active participation and support of the activities of the ICG’s Technical Committee TC04 "Bioglasses" combined with his outstanding contributions to the field of bioactive glasses, from processing to applications. Inaugurated in 2002 in memory of Prof. W.E.S. Turner (first ICG president), the prize recognizes those who have made a noteworthy contribution to the ICG Technical Committees. Boccaccini has been a major force in TC04 from the establishment of this international technical committee in 2005, being one of the initial members of TC04. Boccaccini is also the founding editor and first editor-in-chief of the open access journal "Biomedical Glasses", which is endorsed by the technical committee TC04.

            Prof. Boccaccini receives Turner award

 

          • Visit of Prof. Thomas Fiedler (Univ. of Newcastle, Australia)
            On 9th June, we received the visit of Ass. Prof. Thomas Fiedler, School of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering), University of Newcastle, Australia. We are currently collaborating with Prof. Fiedler's group on several topics related to the modeling of the properties of 3D tissue engineering scaffolds, including mechanical properties and degradation behavior of bioactive glass foams. Our last joint paper was published in J. Mater. Sci. [1].

            [1] M. A. Sulong , et al., A model of the mechanical degradation of foam replicated scaffolds, Journal of Materials Science 51 (2016) 3824-3835.
            (Click image to enlarge)

            fiedler-boccaccini

 

 

 

          • Prof. Hala Zreiqat (Univ. of Sydney) visits the Institute of Biomaterials
            On 2nd June 2016, we received the visit of Prof. Hala Zreiqat, Head of the Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering Research Unit, at the Faculty of Engineering & Information Technologies, University of Sydney, Australia. Prof. Zreiqat presented the seminar: "Development of unique 3D printed ceramic scaffolds and nanoparticles with versatile modular platform for regeneration of large bone defects". Prof. Zreiqat is also the founder of the "Alliance for Design and Application in Tissue Engineering (ADATE)", based in Australia, of which our Institute is an International Partner together with several prestigious institutions worldwide.
            (Click images to enlarge)

            boccaccini_zreigatzreigat_boccaccini-01zreigat

 

 

          • Visit from Sweden
            In the context of the EU project "MesopOrous matrices for localiZed pH-triggered releAse of theRapeuTic ions and drugs" (MOZART), we received the visit of Ms Aylin Atakan of Nanolith (principal investigator Dr. Emma Björk), an industrial partner in the project. We collaborate with Nanolith in the development of smart inorganic nanomatrices for targeted therapies to promote bone and wound healing. The contribution of our Institute to the MOZART project is in the fabrication and characterization of novel ion doped bioactive silicate particles with different pore architectures for drug delivery applications.
            (Click images to enlarge)

            balasubramanian-zheng-atakan-boccaccini-1balasubramanian-zheng-atakan-boccaccini-2

 

          • Visit from Brno
            In the framework of the ETN project CoACH (European Training Network: Advanced glasses, Composites And Ceramics for High growth Industries) we received the visit of Gianmarco Taveri from the Institute of Physics of Materials (IPM) in Brno, Czech Republic (principal investigator: Prof. Ivo Dlouhy). Mr Taveri (pictured) is carrying out his PhD project in the field of advanced geopolymer systems and he collaborates with Ms Nicoletta Toniolo (pictured), PhD student based at the Institute of Biomaterials. The project CoACH is funded by the European Commission through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks action (MSCA-ITNs) and it is coordinated by Polytechnic of Turin, Italy. CoACH promotes international excellence in glass, ceramic and composite science and technology, modelling, design, characterization and commercialization of advanced glass, ceramic and composite based products.
            (Click image to enlarge)

            boccaccini-toniolo-taveri

 

          • Bioadaptive Coatings on Mg Alloys: DFG project meeting in Berlin
            The progress meeting of the DFG funded collaborative project "Bioadaptive Coatings on Mg Alloys" was held on 27th May 2016 at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, hosted by Prof. Frank Witte, pictured with Prof. Boccaccini. This project is a collaborative effort of the Institute of Surface Science and Corrosion of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Prof. S. Virtanen), the Julius Wolff Institute and Center for Musculoskeletal Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Prof. F. Witte) and the FAU Institute of Biomaterials (Prof. A. R. Boccaccini). At the Institute of Biomaterials, the electrophoretic deposition technique is being considered as a suitable method for the development of bioadaptive protective coatings on Mg substrates. A review paper on the application of natural polymers as protective coatings on Mg and Mg alloys, written by the Erlangen members of the consortium, has been recently published [1].

            [1] S. Heise, S. Virtanen, A. R. Boccaccini, Tackling Mg alloy corrosion by natural polymer coatings - A review,_Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A (2016) in press.
            (Click image to enlarge)

            Witte-Boccaccini-Berlin

 

          • New publication on nanoscale bioactive glass composites for wound healing
            Our paper entitled: "Novel poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) composite films containing bioactive glass nanoparticles for wound healing applications" (first author: Dr. Lydia Francis), a collaboration with the groups of Prof. Ipsita Roy, and Dr. Ian Locke, University of Westminster, London, UK, Dr. Vehid Salih, Plymouth University, UK, and Prof. Jonathan Knowles, University College London, UK, has been recently published in Polymer International [1]. In this study the effects of the presence of bioactive glass nanoparticles (n-BG) (developed at the group of Prof. W. Stark, ETH Zurich) on the properties of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB)) microsphere films was investigated including the analysis of the in vitro haemostatic efficacy and clot detection time of the composite films. The paper has been highlighted in Materials Views.

            [1] Francis, L., et al., Novel poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) composite films containing bioactive glass nanoparticles for wound healing applications, Polym. Int. 2016; 65: 661–674.

 

May 2016

 

          • Prof. Boccaccini visits McMaster University
            Prof. Boccaccini visited the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, hosted by Prof. Igor Zhitomirsky (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini), Distinguished Engineering Professor at McMaster. We have collaborated with Prof. Zhitomirsky for more than 10 years, including the writing of two highly cited review articles in the field of Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD) [1, 2]. We plan new collaboration with Prof. Zhitomirsky's group in the field of EPD of biocompatible polymer coatings, which should expand our early joint research on EPD of chitosan composite coatings [3].

            [1] AR Boccaccini, I Zhitomirsky, Application of electrophoretic and electrolytic deposition techniques in ceramics processing, Current Opinion in Solid State and Materials Science 6 (3), (2002) 251-260.

            [2] AR Boccaccini, S Keim, R Ma, Y Li, I Zhitomirsky, Electrophoretic deposition of biomaterials, Journal of The Royal Society Interface 7 (Suppl 5), (2010) S581-S613.

            [3] D Zhitomirsky, JA Roether, AR Boccaccini, I Zhitomirsky, Electrophoretic deposition of bioactive glass/polymer composite coatings with and without HA nanoparticle inclusions for biomedical applications, Journal of Materials Processing Technology 209 (4), (2009) 1853-1860. (Click image to enlarge)

            Zhitomirsky-Boccaccini-McMaster

 

          • Technical Committee "Bioglasses" (TC-04) meeting in Montreal
            A meeting of the Technical Committee "Bioglasses" of the International Commission on Glass (ICG) was held on 18th May 2016 in the framework of the World Biomaterials Congress (WBC 2016) in Montreal, Canada. Several committee members participated at the meeting (pictured), including Prof. Julian Jones (Imperial College London, UK), chair of TC-04 and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini, representative of Germany in the committee. One point of discussion was the further development of the scientific journal endorsed by TC-04, "Biomedical Glasses", which is accepting papers for publication in Volume 2 (2016), free of charge and open access. (Click image to enlarge)

            Technical Committee "Bioglasses" (TC-04) meeting in Montreal

 

          • Prof. Boccaccini presented keynote talk at World Biomaterials Congress in Montreal
            On Thursday 19th May, Prof. Boccaccini presented the keynote talk: "Multifunctional and bioactive soft coatings by electrophoretic deposition" in the context of the New Frontiers symposium: "Multifunctional biomolecular interfaces for orthopaedic applications" at the World Biomaterials Congress (WBC 2016) in Montreal, Canada. In the photo the co-chairs of the symposium Dr. Juan Jose Pavon (University of Antioquia, Colombia) and Prof. Jonathan Knowles (UCL, UK). Dr. Liliana Liverani (post-doctoral researcher) and Ms Yuyun Yang (PhD student) (both pictured with Prof. Boccaccini) also represented our Institute at WBC 2016. Dr. Liverani presented the oral contribution "Electrospinning with benign solvents: feasibility study and versatile use of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) fibers" and the poster: "Functionalized poly(glycerol sebacate)/poly(butylene succinatedilinoleate electrospun scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering", a joint project with the group of Prof. M. El Fray, Szczecin, Poland, while Yuyun Yang presented the poster: "Tailoring the degradation behavior and the bioactivity of pure Mg by polycaprolactone/bioactive glass coatings", a collaboration with the group of Prof. Sanna Virtanen in Erlangen. Boccaccini also presented the poster: "Increase in VEGF secretion induced by particles of porous silica glasses containing CuO and SrO" in collaboration with the group of Prof. Maria Vallet Regi (Madrid, Spain). During WBC 2016 Prof. Boccaccini met numerous colleagues and research collaborators, including Prof. M. El Fray, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, Poland, Prof. Frank Witte, Charite, Berlin, Prof. Juergen Groll, Univ. of Wuerzburg, Dr. Jochen Salber, University Hospital Knappschaft Bochum, Dr. Janis Locs, Riga Technical University, Dr. Julian Bejarano, University of Chile. (Click images to enlarge)

            Boccaccini-Lecture-WBCLiliana-Yuyun-BoccacciniBoccaccini-Groll-WitteBejarano-BoccacciniFray-BoccacciniBoccaccini-LocsBoccaccini-SalberPavon-Boccaccini-Knowles

 

 

          • EU project MOZART meeting in Berlin
            The progress meeting of the EU project "MesopOrous matrices for localiZed pH-triggered releAse of theRapeuTic ions and drugs" (MOZART) was held on 9-10 May 2016 at the Julius Wolff Institute, Charite - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, hosted by Prof. Georg Duda and his team. Preethi Balasubramanian, Kai Zheng and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (pictured) attended the meeting. The contribution of our Institute to the MOZART project is in the fabrication and characterization of novel ion doped bioactive silicate particles with different pore architectures for drug delivery applications.(Click image to enlarge)

            Preethi-Kai-Boccaccini-CHARITE

 

          • EU project meeting SLAGSTOCK in Switzerland
            Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini participated at the last progress meeting of the EU Project "Low-Cost Sustainable Thermal Energy Storage Systems Made of Recycled Steel Industry Waste" (SLAGSTOCK) which was held on 4th May 2016 at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland, hosted by Dr. Christian Wieckert of Solar Technology Laboratory at PSI (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini). SLAGSTOCK is a SOLAR-ERA-NET project supported by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMW) involving academic and industrial partners in Spain, Switzerland, France and Germany. SLAGSTOCK project aims to develop an innovative thermal storage concept making use of steel slags as storage material and our Institute is involved in the material characterisation of the new thermal storage systems being fabricated. (Click image to enlarge)

            Prof. Boccaccini - Dr. Christian Wieckert

 

          • Prof. Boccaccini: keynote speaker at World Biomaterials Congress in Montreal
            Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini will be the keynote speaker in the New Frontiers symposium "Multifunctional biomolecular interfaces for orthopaedic applications" at the 10th World Biomaterials Congress (WBC) to be held in Montreal, Canada, May 17-22, 2016. The title of Prof. Boccaccini's presentation will be: "Multifunctional and bioactive soft coatings by electrophoretic deposition". The scientific program of WBC 2016 is available. Other presentations of our Institute will be "Electrospinning with benign solvents: feasibility study and versatile use of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) fibers" and "Functionalized poly(glycerol sebacate)/poly(butylene succinatedilinoleate electrospun scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering" by Dr. Liliana Liverani, "Tailoring the degradation behavior and the bioactivity of pure Mg by polycaprolactone/bioactive glass coatings" by Ms Yuyun Yang (PhD student) and "Increase in VEGF secretion induced by particles of porous silica glasses containing CuO and SrO" by Prof. Boccaccini.
          • FunGlass EU project meeting in Trencin, Slovakia
            The last meeting of the EU project "CENTRE FOR FUNCTIONAL AND SURFACE-FUNCTIONALIZED GLASSES" (FunGlass) was held on 28-29 April in Trencin, Slovakia, hosted by the project coordinator, Prof. Dušan Galusek (pictured with Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini) at Alexandre Dubcek University. The EU project FunGlass is supported by the European Framework programme for Research and Innovation HORIZON 2020. It is based at Alexander Dubček University of Trenčín (Slovakia). Project partners include Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany, with prof. A. R. Boccaccini), Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany, with prof. L. Wondraczek), Spanish National Research Council (Spain, with prof. A. Durán) and University of Padova (Italy, with prof. E. Bernardo). The scope of the project is the upgrade of existing Centre of Excellence for Ceramics, Glass, and Cement, to an internationally recognized centre for functional and surface-functionalized glasses. (Click image to enlarge)

            Boccaccini-Galusek
          • Prof. Boccaccini invited speaker at McGill University, Montreal
            Hosted by Professor Showan Nazhat, Department of Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini will present the special guest seminar: "Bioactive glasses for vascularized tissue engineering: Emerging evidences and successful outcomes" at Materials Engineering, McGill University. We collaborate in several projects with Prof. Nazhat and his team in the field of bioactive glass for tissue engineering. Our last joint paper has been published recently [1].

            [1] A. K. Miri, et al., Ectopic bone formation in rapidly fabricated acellular injectable dense collagen-Bioglass hybrid scaffolds via gel aspiration-ejection, Biomaterials, 85 (2016) 128-141.

 

 

April 2016

 

          • Our paper on nanoscale bioactive glasses published in Nanomedicine
            Our paper entitled "Nanoscale bioactive glass activates osteoclastic differentiation of RAW 264.7 cells" [1], authors: R. Detsch, M. Rübner, P. L. Strissel, D. Mohn, E. Strasser, W. J. Stark, R. Strick, and A. R. Boccaccini, has been published in the Special Focus Issue: "Nano-biomaterials at work: revolutionizing healthcare (Part I)" co-edited by A. Pandit and D. I. Zeugolis in the journal Nanomedicine. The paper is the result of collaborative research involving our Institute, the Department of Gynaecology & Obstetrics, Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, University-Clinic Erlangen, the Institute for Chemical & Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and the Department of Transfusion Medicine & Haemostaseology, University-Clinic Erlangen. It represents the first study that examined increasing concentrations of nanoscale bioactive glass (flame spray derived) of nominal 45S5 composition and their influence on osteoclast differentiation.

            [1] R. Detsch, et al., Nanoscale bioactive glass activates osteoclastic differentiation of RAW 264.7 cells, Nanomedicine, 11 (2016) 1093-1105 (doi: 10.2217/nnm.16.20)


          • Visit from Japan
            Prof. Dr. Yasushige Mori, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan, visited our Institute on 25th April 2016. With Prof. Mori and his team, we have common research interests in the field of electrophoretic deposition of titania nanoparticles (a topic recently reviewed by S. Cabanas-Polo and A. R. Boccaccini [1]). (Click image to enlarge)

            [1] S. Cabañas-Polo, A. R. Boccaccini, Electrophoretic deposition of nanoscale TiO2: technology and applications, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 36 (2016) 265-283.

            Visit from Japan

 

          • Most cited article
            Our review paper: "Magnesium-Containing Bioactive Glasses for Biomedical Applications", authors: Diba, Mani; Tapia, Felipe; Boccaccini, Aldo R.; Strobel, Leoni A., Int. J. Appl. Glass Sci. 3 (2012) 221-253, is listed as one of the most cited articles published in the International Journal of Applied Glass Science. The review covers comprehensively the field of bioactive glasses containing Mg, a key element in the human body, relevant for bone tissue development. The effects of Mg on physical, thermal, and mechanical properties of bioactive silicate glasses are discussed in this article.

 

          • Our paper on superparamagnetic microspheres published in Scientific Reports
            Our paper entitled: "Facile preparation of multifunctional superparamagnetic PHBV microspheres containing SPIONs for biomedical applications" has been published in Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group): Li, W., et al., Facile preparation of multifunctional superparamagnetic PHBV microspheres containing SPIONs for biomedical applications, Scientific Reports 6, Article number: 23140 (2016), doi:10.1038/srep23140. The research was a collaboration between Dr Wei Li and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (Institute of Biomaterials, FAU), Dr. Yaping Ding (Institute of Polymer Materials, FAU), Mr Jan Zaloga, Dr. Christina Janko and Prof. Christoph Alexiou (Section for Experimental Oncology and Nanomedicine (SEON), University Hospital Erlangen), Yufang Liu and Prof. Monika Pischetsrieder (Henriette Schmidt-Burkhardt Chair of Food Chemistry, FAU). The study presents a new family of biocompatible and biodegradable polymer microspheres incorporating superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles which exhibit drug delivery capability being promising for biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery and MRI.

 

          • Launch of EU project RESLAG webpage
            The RESLAG project website has been launched. RESLAG is a European Horizon 2020 project that develops solutions for the valorisation of steel slag through 4 eco-innovative industrial alternative applications that will be proved in 4 large scale demonstration pilots. The main objective of the RESLAG project, which involves 19 industrial and academic partners from 7 European countries, is to valorise the steel slag that is currently not being recycled (being partially landfilled and partially stored in steel factories) and to reuse it as a raw material for 4 innovative applications that contribute to a circular economy in the steel sector with an additional cross-sectorial approach. These applications will be demonstrated at pilot level and led by end-user industries. Altogether the project will open a range of possibilities to benefit from slag, not only for the steel sector but also for other industries. The participation of our Institute, led by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini, involves the characterization of the starting materials and of the new RESLAG components developed from steel slag.

 

          • Dr. Liliana Liverani in Mar del Plata (Argentina)
            In the framework of the I.DEAR program, Dr. Liliana Liverani visited the National University of Mar del Plata (UNMDP), Argentina. She presented the course “Electrospinning process as scaffold fabrication technique for tissue engineering applications” and discussed research collaboration in the field of biopolymer processing techniques for biomedical applications with colleagues at "Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales" (INTEMA). I.DEAR is an international exchange program in materials science and engineering in which the University of Saarland, National University of Mar del Plata and our University (FAU) are participating. The program was established at FAU by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini in 2015. This program is supported by the German-Argentinean University Centre (DAHZ). I.DEAR enables also FAU Master students of materials science and engineering to spend one year in Argentina at UNMDP. (Click image to enlarge)

            Dr. Liliana Liverani in Mar del Plata (Argentina)

 

          • Visits from Malaysia
            Dr. Hasan Zuhudi Abdullah and Dr. Maizlinda Izwana Idris, from the Department of Materials Engineering and Design, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia, are visiting the Institute of Biomaterials for an extended research period to carry out collaborative research in two research fields. Hasan is working on bioactive coatings by electrophoretic deposition, following our recently published results [1], while Maizlinda is focusing on the development of hydrogel-inorganic filler composites, which are emerging interesting systems for applications in tissue engineering and biofabrication [2]. (Click image to enlarge)

            [1] Q. Chen, et al., Electrophoretic deposition of antibiotic loaded PHBV microsphere-alginate composite coating with controlled delivery potential, Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces 130 (2015) 199–206.

            [2] S. Utech, A. R. Boccaccini, A review of hydrogel-based composites for biomedical applications: enhancement of hydrogel properties by addition of rigid inorganic fillers, J. Mater. Sci. 51 (2016) 271-310.

            Visit from Malaysia

 

March 2016

 

 

          • Highly cited paper in J. Mater. Chem B
            Our paper: Sarker, B. et al., Fabrication of alginate-gelatin crosslinked hydrogel microcapsules and evaluation of the microstructure and physico-chemical properties, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2014,2, 1470-1482 is listed as one of the most cited papers published in the J. Mater. Chem. B. (2015 Citation data retrieved from Web of Science® for articles published between 2013 and 2014, Thomson Reuters, February 2016). Based on the latest figures*, this paper is in the top 10% of highly cited papers in the RSC Materials portfolio of journals.

 

          • Visit from the Section of Experimental Oncology and Nanomedicine
            Dr. Raminder Singh and PD Dr. Iwona Cicha (pictured with Prof. A. R. Boccaccini), Cardiovascular Nanomedicine Unit - Section of Experimental Oncology and Nanomedicine, (head: Prof. C. Alexiou), Faculty of Medicine, visited the Institute of Biomaterials on 17th March. We collaborate with the research group of Dr Cicha and Prof. Alexiou in several projects in the field of biomaterials for soft tissue engineering. The latest results of our joint projects have just been published [1]. Dr Singh presented the invited talk: "Endothelialised small diameter tissue-engineered grafts: Initial results". (Click image to enlarge)

            [1] Singh, R., et al., Evaluation of hydrogel matrices for vessel bioplotting: Vascular cell growth and viability, J. Biomed. Mater. Res. Part A 104 (2016) 577–585.




            Prof. Boccaccini, Prof. Cicha und Dr. Singh

 

          • We welcome our international students and academic visitors
            Several undergraduate (ERASMUS exchange) students, doctoral researchers and senior scientists are currently visiting our Institute and carrying out a variety of research projects in the field of biomaterials, including: Martina Tortorici (Polytechnic of Turin, Italy), Will Lepry (McGill University, Canada), Gaetano Alcaro (Polytechnic of Turin, Italy), Gioacchino Conoscenti (University of Palermo, Italy), Prof. Dr. Hasan Zuhudi Abdullah (Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia), Prof. Dr. Maizlinda Izwana Idris (Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia), Dalia Bartkevičiūtė (Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania) and Aiah El-Rashidy (Cairo University, Egypt) (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini). (Click image to enlarge)



            visitors

 

 

          • EU ITN "BioBone" meeting at Imperial College London
            Professor Boccaccini attended the last meeting of the Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) "BIOCERAMICS FOR BONE REPAIR (BioBone)" held on 15th March 2016 in the Department of Materials, Imperial College London, UK. The project received funding from FP7 of the European Commission. The ultimate objective of the BioBone network has been to train young researchers to fill the demand of qualified professionals in the strategic area of bioceramics for bone repair. At the Institute of Biomaterials in Erlangen, two PhD students working in the field of bioactive glass scaffolds for bone tissue engineering were funded by the BioBone project: Ms Preethi Balasubramanian and Ms Valentina Miguez-Pachecho, who have recently published part of their research results [1, 2]. In the picture participants of the meeting (from left): Dr. X. Zhang (UK), Prof. A. R. Boccaccini (Germany), Prof. E. Saiz (UK, BioBone coordinator), Dr. Y. Fredholm (France), Dr. M. Boix Alberich (Belgium), Dr. M. Alini (Switzerland), Prof. J. R. Jones (UK).(Click image to enlarge)

            [1] P. Balasubramanian, A. R. Boccaccini, Bilayered bioactive glass scaffolds incorporating fibrous morphology by flock technology, Materials Letters 158 (2015) 313-316.

            [2] V. Miguez-Pacheco, et al., Development and characterization of lithium-releasing silicate bioactive glasses and their scaffolds for bone repair, J. Non-Crystalline Solids 432, Part A (2016) 65–72.



            BioBone meeting

 

          • Prof. Boccaccini: plenary speaker at DKG Conference in Freiberg, Germany
            Prof. Boccaccini was a plenary speaker at the 91st Annual Conference of the German Ceramics Society (DKG) & Symposium on High-Performance Ceramics 2016 held in Freiberg, Germany, on 7-9 March 2016. He presented the lecture: "Biologically active glasses and ceramics: progress, challenges and opportunities in biomedical applications". Prof. Boccaccini also chaired the session "Bioceramics" in this conference. In the photo, Prof. Boccaccini and Prof. Jérôme Chevalier (INSA Lyon, France), who was a keynote speaker in the session "Bioceramics". (Click images to enlarge)



            Prof. Chevalier and Prof. BoccacciniProf. Boccaccini as the chairmanPresentation of Prof. Boccaccini

 

          • Visit of Prof. J. Chevalier, INSA Lyon, France
            On 7th March 2016 we received the visit of Prof. Jerome Chevalier, director of the Materials Science (MATEIS) laboratory at the National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA) in Lyon, France. We have collaborated for 10 years with the group of Prof. Chevalier, particularly in the field of bioactive glass scaffolds [1], at the time Prof. Boccaccini was at Imperial College London, and, more recently within the scope of the EU ITN Project "BIOBONE" [2]. We are planing further collaborations with Prof. Chevalier and his team, to investigate novel compositions of bioactive glasses for bone tissue engineering and also in the field of osteoclast cell activity on different bioceramic materials. (Click image to enlarge)

            [1] Boccaccini, A. R., et al., Sintering, crystallisation and biodegradation behaviour of Bioglass®-derived glass–ceramics, FARADAY DISCUSSIONS, 136, 2007, 27-44.

            [2] Miguez-Pacheco V., et al., Development and characterization of lithium-releasing silicate bioactive glasses and their scaffolds for bone repair, JOURNAL OF NON-CRYSTALLINE SOLIDS, 432, 2016, 65-72.


            Prof. Chevalier and Prof. Boccaccini

 

          • Presentation of Nanoscribe
            On 2nd March we received the visit of Mr Alexander Legant of Nanoscribe GmbH. Mr Legant presented the seminar: "3D Printing via Two-Photon Polymerization for Microfabrication” in which the capabilities of the Nanoscribe 3D printing technology for microfabrication were introduced. The speaker discussed many examples showing the wide range of applications of the technology and highlighting the advances in additive manufacturing of polymer parts with dimensions ranging from a few microns to millimeters. In the photos, Mr Legant, Dr. R. Detsch (Institute of Biomaterials, Erlangen) and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini. (Click images to enlarge)


            Visit from Nanoscribe GmbHVisit from Nanoscribe GmbH (2)Presentation of Mr Legat

 

          • Visiting our new laboratories in Erlangen-West
            On 29th February, Prof. Boccaccini and several members of our team visited the new building and research facilities in the "Bioresearch Centre" in Erlangen-West. The new laboratory complex is a fundamental component of the interdisciplinary Biotechnology campus on the 9,000 m² site in Ulrich-Schalk-Str. complementing the existing buildings at the site, which will house offices and seminar rooms for the scientific personnel. Very soon we will be able to start our research activities in these new world-class laboratories! (Click images to enlarge)


            Visiting our new laboratories in Erlangen-West Visiting our new laboratories in Erlangen-West (1)

 

          • Prof. Boccaccini elected member of the Governing Council of KMM-VIN
            At the General Assembly Meeting of the European Virtual Institute on Knowledge-based Multifunctional Materials (KMM-VIN ), held on 23rd February 2016 in Brussels, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini was elected coordinator of the Working Group Biomaterials (together with Prof. C. Hellmich, Technical University of Vienna, Austria). Prof. Boccaccini was also elected member of the Governing Council of KMM-VIN. KMM-VIN is a single legal entity with a supranational character to offer integrated basic and applied commercial research, educational and innovation activities in the field of knowledge-based multifunctional materials. The aim of KMM-VIN is to foster the creation of a powerful platform for research and development and industrial application of advanced multifunctional materials in order that Europe may become a global power in this field, thus contributing to enhancing the quality of life of European society. In the photos, Prof. C. Hellmich, TU Vienna, Prof. M. Basista, Institute of Fundamental Technological Research (IPPT), Warsaw, Poland, and CEO of KMM-VIN and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini.
            (Click images to enlarge)


            Prof. Boccaccini and Prof. BasistaProf. Boccaccini and Prof. Hellmich

 

          • Farewell to our visiting Master students from Argentina
            This week, Agustina Massone, Joan Gagliardo and Luciano Fissore (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini), visiting Master students from National University of Mar del Plata (UNMDP) (Argentina), completed their stay at the Institute of Biomaterials and will continue with their industrial placement in Germany, all activities carried out in the framework of the I.DEAR students exchange program in materials science and engineering. Agustina, Joan and Luciano worked on research projects in the field of electrospun biopolymer fibres, bioactive coatings and tissue engineering scaffolds in collaboration with colleagues at "Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales" (INTEMA), UNMDP. I.DEAR is an international exchange program in materials science and engineering in which the University of Saarland, National University of Mar del Plata and our University (FAU) are participating. The program is supported by the German-Argentinean University Centre (DAHZ). I.DEAR enables also FAU Master students of materials science and engineering to spend one year in Argentina at UNMDP. (Click image to enlarge)



            Argentinian students

 

February 2016

 

          • Doctoral thesis success: Ms Jasmin Hum
            On 17th February 2016 Jasmin Hum successfully defended her doctoral thesis in the field of bioactive glass-biopolymer composite scaffolds for bone regeneration, carried out under supervision of Professor Aldo R. Boccaccini at our Institute. In addition to Prof. Boccaccini, Prof. Valeria Cannillo (University of Modena and Reggio-Emilia, Italy), Prof. Armin Bolz (visiting professor, Faculty of Engineering, FAU), Prof. Sanna Virtanen (Institute for Surface Science and Corrosion, FAU), and Prof. Ulrich Lohbauer (University Hospital Erlangen, Dental School) were the members of the doctoral defense committee. Jasmin has been a key player and contributor to the growth of our Institute of Biomaterials in the last five years. Professor Boccaccini highlighted Jasmin's significant support in several aspects which go from the design of laboratories for biomaterials processing to being an important member of the Institute's safety committee for several years. Jasmin was a recipient of a research fellowship of the "European Virtual Institute on Knowledge-based Multifunctional Materials (KMM-VIN)" to carry out research at the Institute for Mechanics of Materials and Structures, Technical University of Vienna, Austria (Head: Prof. Christian Hellmich). In addition to the research articles published from the results of her thesis (for example [1]), she also co-authored a comprehensive review paper on the application of bioactive glasses as carrier for drug delivery [2]. Jasmin will stay in our Institute to be the principal investigator in the EU research project RESLAG. We congratulate Jasmin on achieving her doctoral degree and wish her all the best in her future career. (Click images to enlarge)

            [1] Hum, J., et al., Stiffness Improvement of 45S5 Bioglass®-Based Scaffolds Through Natural and Synthetic Biopolymer Coatings: An Ultrasonic Study, Strain 49 (2013) 431–439.

            [2] Hum, J. and Boccaccini, A. R., Bioactive glasses as carriers for bioactive molecules and therapeutic drugs: a review, J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Med. 23 (2012) 2317-2333.



            PhD defense Jasmin Hum PhD defense Jasmin Hum PhD defense Jasmin Hum PhD defense Jasmin Hum

 

          • Visit from Modena: Prof. Valeria Cannillo
            Professor Valeria Cannillo, Associate Professor at the Department of Engineering "Enzo Ferrari" University of Modena and Reggio-Emilia, Italy, visited the Institute of Biomaterials on 16-17 February 2016. We have collaborated with Prof. Cannillo's research group more than 10 years. Our early joint projects were in the field of glass matrix composites and porous glasses, while Prof. Boccaccini was at Imperial College London [1, 2]. Based on our current common interests in the field of biomaterials we are planning new collaborative research in the field of bioactive glasses and tissue engineering scaffolds. (Click image to enlarge)

            [1] V. Cannillo; et al., Numerical models for thermal residual stresses in Al2O3 platelets/borosilicate glass matrix composites, Mater. Sci. Eng. A 323 (2002) 246-250

            [2] V. Cannillo; et al., Computational simulations for the assessment of the mechanical properties of glass with controlled porosity, J. Porous Mater. 10 (2003) 189-200.



            Prof. Cannillo and Prof. Boccaccini

 

          • Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini in the International Advisory Board of the Journal of Applied Biomaterials & Functional Materials (JABFM)
            Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini has been appointed to the International Advisory Board of the Journal of Applied Biomaterials & Functional Materials (JABFM). JABFM is the Official Journal of the Italian Society for Biomaterials (SIB), the National Interuniversity Consortium for Materials Science and Technology (INSTM) and the Italian Association for Materials Engineering (AIMAT). The journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical and laboratory investigations dealing with the latest advances in the research of biomaterials applied to medicine, on optimised biological procedures for material characterisation/validation, and on clinical applications of innovative materials or biomedical devices, as well as results of theoretical and experimental studies, descriptions of preparation methods and practical applications of functional materials.

 

 

 

          • Visit from McGill University, Canada
            Will Lepry, PhD student at Materials Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, working under supervision of Prof. Showan Nazhat, is visiting our Institute in the framework of a DAAD funded project. Will’s research project at our Institute focuses on creating three dimensional bioactive glass based composites using advanced processing facilities available in the Erlangen Institute of Biomaterials. We have collaborated with Prof. Nazhat's laboratory for almost 15 years, focusing on composite materials for tissue engineering applications [1], starting when Prof. Nazhat and Prof. Boccaccini were based at University College London and Imperial College London, respectively. Our most recent joint publication with the Nazhat's laboratory has been recently published in the journal Biomaterials [2]. (Click image to enlarge)

            [1] J. J. Blaker et al., Development and characterisation of silver doped bioactive glass coated sutures for tissue engineering and wound healing applications. Biomaterials 25 (2004) 1319-1329.

            [2] A. K. Miri, et al., Ectopic bone formation in rapidly fabricated acellular injectable dense collagen-Bioglass hybrid scaffolds via gel aspiration-ejection, Biomaterials, 85 (2016) 128-141.



            Mr. Lepry and Prof. Boccaccini

 

          • European Training Network HyMedPoly meeting in Turin, Italy
            The first meeting of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network - European Industrial Doctorate (ITN-EID) "Drug-Free Antibacterial Hybrid Biopolymers for Medical Applications (HyMedPoly)", including the training and workshop sessions, was held on 8-10 February 2016 in Turin, Italy, hosted by Prof. Gianluca Ciardelli, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Polytechnic of Turin. Seray Kaya, Lukas Gritsh, Binh Thi Thanh Phan, Agata Lapa, and Muhammad Maqbool, PhD students (ESRs) in this project (pictured with Prof. A. R. Boccaccini), presented initial results of their research. Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini introduced the Erlangen Institute of Biomaterials as an academic project partner. HyMedPoly aims to develop new therapies based on biomedical drug-free antibacterial polymers and inorganic materials for drug-free antibacterial hybrid biopolymers for infections. The projects of the Erlangen team are carried out in close collaboration with LUCIDEON Ltd., UK, industrial partner in the project. In the photos: the Erlangen team in HyMedPoly and the complete members of the network. (Click images to enlarge)


            Students of HyMedPoly in TurinHyMedPoly group in Torino

 

          • Visit from Imperial College London
            We recently received the visit of Michail Klontzas, MD, PhD Candidate in the group of Prof. Athanasios (Sakis) Mantalaris, Biological Systems Engineering Laboratory (BSEL), Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London. Our previous collaboration with Prof. Mantalaris' BSEL group [1] is now being continued, focusing on new research topics in the field of hydrogels for tissue engineering. (Click image to enlarge)

            [1] Yu-Shik Hwang, et al., The use of murine embryonic stem cells, alginate encapsulation, and rotary microgravity bioreactor in bone tissue engineering, Biomaterials 30 (2009) 499–507.



            Mr. Klontzas and Prof. Boccaccini

 

          • European Training Network CoACH meeting in Brno, Czech Republic
            The first year meeting of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie European Training Network "Advanced glasses, Composites And Ceramics for High growth Industries European Training Network" (CoACH), including the training and workshop sessions, was held on 1-5 February 2016 in Brno, Czech Republic, hosted at the Institute of Physics of Materials (IPM). Nicoletta Toniolo and Francesca Ciraldo, PhD students (ESRs) (pictured with Prof. A. R. Boccaccini), presented results of their projects so far, and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini, lead investigator, introduced the Erlangen Institute of Biomaterials as an academic project partner and chaired the Work Package "Glasses and Composites for Health Care Industries" session. In the photos Prof. Boccaccini, Prof. Ivo Dlouhy (IPM), Prof. E. Bernardo (University of Padova, Italy, project academic partner), Prof. Milena Salvo (Polytechnic of Turin, Italy, coordinating institution) and the Erlangen team in CoACH. (Click images to enlarge)


            Prof. Bernardo and Prof. BoccacciniPresentation in BrnoProf. Dlouhy and Prof. BoccacciniErlangen team in BrnoProf. Salvo and Prof. Boccaccini

 

          • Poster Award for Samira Tansaz
            Samira Tansaz, PhD student in our Institute, received the best poster award at the conference Wound Healing 2016 held on 26-28th of January in London, UK. The poster was entitled “Soy protein based hydrogels for wound healing“ and co-authors were S. Tansaz, A. K. Durmann, R. Detsch, M. Schulte, U. Kneser and A. R. Boccaccini. The poster presented results obtained in the context of our collaboration with the research group of Prof. U. Kneser at the Department of Hand, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, BG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen. The use of soy protein in biomedical applications, including wound healing, has been summarised in a recent review paper co-authored by S. Tansaz and A. R. Boccaccini [1]. (Click image to enlarge)

            [1] Tansaz, S., Boccaccini, A. R., Biomedical applications of soy protein: A brief overview, J. Biomed. Mater. Res. A 104 (2016) 553–569.



            Poster Award for Samira Tansaz

 

 

 

January 2016

 

          • Doctoral thesis success: Ms Sigrid Seuss
            On 29th January 2016 Sigrid Seuss successfully defended her doctoral thesis in the field of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of bioactive and antibacterial coatings for biomedical applications, carried out under supervision of Professor Aldo R. Boccaccini at our Institute. In addition to Prof. Boccaccini, Prof. S. Virtanen (Institute for Surface Science and Corrosion, FAU), Prof. N. Vogel (Institute of Particle Technology, FAU) and Prof. P. Wellmann (Institute of Materials for Electronics and Energy Technology, FAU) were the members of the doctoral defense committee. Sigrid was one of the first researchers to join the Institute of Biomaterials following its establishment in 2009 and Professor Boccaccini highlighted Sigrid's significant initial contributions to the establishment of the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) laboratory at the Institute. Sigrid also represented our Institute at the 4th International Conference on Electrophoretic Deposition, held in Mexico in 2011. In addition to the research articles published from the results of the thesis, Sigrid also co-authored a comprehensive review paper on the emerging field of EPD of biological entities [1]. We congratulate Sigrid on achieving her doctoral degree and wish her all the best in her future career. (Click images to enlarge)

            [1] Seuss, S., and Boccaccini, A. R., Electrophoretic Deposition of Biological Macromolecules, Drugs, And Cells, Biomacromolecules 14 (2013) 3355–3369.


            PhD defense of Sigrid Seuss (1)PhD defense of Sigrid Seuss (2)PhD defense of Sigrid Seuss (3)PhD defense of Sigrid Seuss (4)

 

 

          • Visit from Poland
            In the framework of our research collaboration and Erasmus exchange program with AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, Krakow, Poland, we received the visit of Ms Aleksandra Wajda, PhD student at AGH University of Science and Technology under supervision of Prof. Maciej Sitarz. We collaborate with the group of Prof. Sitarz in the field of antibacterial ion doped silicate glasses made by sol-gel technique, which is in the framework of our general research interest on therapeutic ion releasing bioactive glasses [1]. (Click image to enlarge)

            [1] Hoppe, A., et al., A review of the biological response to ionic dissolution products from bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics, Biomaterials 32 (2011) 2757–2774.


            Mrs. Wajda and Prof. Boccaccini

 

          • Visit from Prof. M. Gelinsky (Dresden)
            Prof. M. Gelinsky, Head of the Centre for Translational Bone, Joint and Soft Tissue Research, Technical University Dresden, and Dr. Anja Lode, senior scientists at the Centre, visited the Erlangen Institute of Biomaterials on 19th Jan. 2016. Prof. Gelinsky presented the lecture: "In situ tissue engineering: combining biomimetic scaffolds with autologous growth factor cocktails for accelerated bone defect healing", in the framework of the Biomaterials Seminar Series of our Institute.
            In the pictures, Prof. M. Gelinsky, Dr. A. Lode, Dr. R. Detsch (Institute of Biomaterials) and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini. (Click images to enlarge)

            Dr. Detsch, Dr. Lode, Prof. Gelinsky, Prof. Boccaccini Prof. Boccaccini and Prof. Gelinsky Prof. Gelinsky Prof. Boccaccini

 

          • Prof. Boccaccini invited speaker at University of Vienna
            Following an invitation of Prof. W. Kautek, Head, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Austria, on 8th Jan. 2015 Prof. Boccaccini presented the talk entitled "Electrophoretic deposition of nanomaterials" in the framework of the Materials Science Seminar, which is jointly organized by the Department of Physical Chemistry (Prof. W. Kautek, pictured with Prof. Boccaccini) and the Department of Materials Chemistry (Prof. A. Bismarck). (Click image to enlarge)

            Prof. Boccaccini and Prof. Kautek

 

 

          • Special Issue "Electrophoretic Deposition of Ceramics" published in J. Europ. Ceram. Soc.
            The special issue "Electrophoretic Deposition of Ceramics: Fundamentals and Applications", co-edited by Aldo R. Boccaccini, Begoña Ferrari, James H. Dickerson and Carmen Galassi, has been published in J. Europ. Ceram. Soc., volume 36, issue 2, pages 263-388 (January 2016). This special issue in J. Europ. Ceram. Soc. includes papers written by experts in the field of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) applied to ceramic materials. The manuscripts capture research efforts of recognised groups in the field of EPD, many of which attended the Fifth International Conference on Electrophoretic Deposition: Fundamentals and Applications (EPD 2014) held on 5th–10th October 2014 in Hernstein, Austria. The special issue includes the review article "Electrophoretic deposition of nanoscale TiO2: technology and applications" written by Dr. Sandra Cabanas-Polo and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini [1].

            [1] S. Cabañas-Polo, A. R. Boccaccini, Electrophoretic deposition of nanoscale TiO2: technology and applications, J. Europ. Ceram. Soc. 36 (2016) 265–283.

 

 

 

          • Prof. Boccaccini in the International Scientific Committee of BioMaH conference in Rome
            Prof. Boccaccini serves in the International Scientific Committee of the first BioMaH “Biomaterial for Healthcare” conference titled “BIOMATERIALS FOR TISSUES AND GENETIC ENGINEERING AND THE ROLE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY“, to be held in Rome (Italy) on October 17 ­‐ 20, 2016. The conference will be chaired by Prof. A. Ravaglioli (ISM-CNR, Rome, Italy) and Dr. Julietta V. Rau (ISM-CNR, Rome, Italy).

 

 

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