Nachrichten der Technischen Fakultät

The 4th scientific seminar of the North-Bavaria Biomaterials Alliance (NBBA) was held on 27th November 2012 at the Institute of Biomaterials, hosted by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini, with participation of professors and young researchers from Würzburg, Erlangen and Bayreuth. Representing the Erlangen Institute of Biomaterials, Ms Jasmin Hum, Ms Marwa Tallawi, Mr Bapi Sarker, Mr Qian Chen and Mr Wei Li presented short talks and posters about their PhD projects. Ms Anahi Philippart moderated the Erlangen session. The complete program of the seminar is available here. In the photos the participants during the lectures and the poster session. The 5th NBBA Seminar will be held in Würzburg next February 2013.

NBBA was established in 2010 for initiative of Prof. Boccaccini and colleagues at the Universities of Würzburg and Bayreuth to strengthen the collaboration in the field of biomaterials between the Universities in the region. The activities involve joint research projects, co-supervision of Bachelor and Master projects, exchange of materials and information and mutual access to experimental facilities as well as the organisation of periodic scientific seminars at the three universities with participation of PhD and undergraduate students.

The NBBA Webseite ist presently under construction and will soon be announced officially.

A new project on Novel bionanocomposites for bone tissue engineering, led by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (Institute of Biomaterials) and Prof. Dimitri Bikiaris (Chemistry Department, Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Aristotle University Thessaloniki, Greece) has been approved for funding by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The project involves the visits of the principal investigators and exchanges of experienced and young researchers between the institutions involved. The project focuses on the development and characterisation of a new family of bioactive nanostructured polymer matrix composites for bone tissue engineering, which exploits nanoscale topography to enhance cell attachment and proliferation.

A new Initial Training Network (ITN) funded by the EU has been awarded in the field of Bioceramics for Bone Repair (BIOBONE) to a consortium with participation of the FAU Institute of Biomaterials led by Prof. A. R. Boccaccini. The total funding awarded is: 3 700 000 Euro.

The coordinating institution is Imperial College London (UK), where Prof. Boccaccini is also a visiting professor. The project has a 4 year duration. The project will offer multidisciplinary research training for young researchers in the field of bioceramics, bioactive glasses and composites for bone repair, which includes the development of ZrO2-based materials for orthopedic applications, CaP and bioactive glass scaffolds for bone regeneration as well as composites and nanohybrids, in collaboration with industry and universities. The scientific goals are to develop advanced knowledge on a range of bioceramics, bioactive glasses, hybrids and composites focusing on i) new processing strategies, ii) biodegradation understanding and optimization, and iii) cell-material interactions. The multi-disciplinary characteristic is reflected in the constitution of the consortium, which includes six academic partners, from universities and research centres, and four industry partners, from six countries (UK, Germany, France, Spain, Belgium and Switzerland), all of them with outstanding expertise in bioceramics and/or bioactive glasses and composites.

The Institute of Biomaterials (Prof. Boccaccini) will be mainly involved in the development of novel bioactive glass scaffolds with added functionalities and ion release capability for bone regeneration. The projects at the FAU Institute involve the investigation of novel scaffold architectures and new surface functionalisation techniques. The focus will be on the processing methods for these scaffolds, the study of the mechanical properties, degradation behavior and cell-material interactions, which will lead to a new family of bioactive glasses with advanced functionalities for bone tissue engineering.

Two new books have recently been published which are co-edited by Prof. Boccaccini, Institute of Biomaterials.

Electrophoretic Deposition of Nanomaterials
Edited by J. H. Dickerson and A. R. Boccaccini, Springer (2012), ISBN 978-1-4419-9690-9

This book is the first and only reference highlighting the basic research, materials science and engineering of the electrophoretic deposition of nanomaterials providing a comprehensive overview of contemporary bacis research, emerging technology and commercial and industrial applications associated with the electrophoretic deposition of nanomaterials.

Myocardial Tissue Engineering
Edited by A. R. Boccaccini and S. E. Harding, Springer (2012), ISBN 978-3-645-18055-2

This book, which contains chapters written by leading experts in the field of myocardial tissue engineering (MTE), gives a complete analysis and presents the latest advances in the field. The chapters cover all relevant aspects of MTE strategies, including cell sources, specific TE techniques and biomaterials used. The book also cnsiders a complete range of biomaterials, examining different aspects of their application in MTE, such as biocompatibility with cardiac cells, mechanical capability and compatibility with the mechanical properties of the native myocardium as well as degradation behaviour in vivo and in vitro.

Reference: Institute of Biomaterial News

Cooperation on Biomaterials with Argentina
A new project “Design and development of novel matrices for tissue engineering and/or drug delivery for pathologies of high social and economic impact” led by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (Institute of Biomaterials) and Prof. Viviana Mourino, (Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina) has been approved for 2 years funding by the International Bureau of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany, and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovative Production, Argentina. The project involves the visits of the principal investigators and exchanges of young researchers between the institutions involved. The aim of this project is to design and develop multifunctional bioactive matrices in three dimensions (scaffolds) made from natural polymers and bioactive glass nanoparticles allowing the advantageous combination of therapeutic drug release and tissue regeneration in the same system.

Cooperation on Biomaterials with Croatia
A new project entitled: “Cu-Bioglass in bone regeneration strategies”, led by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (Institute of Biomaterials) and Dr. Neven Zarkovic (Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia) has been approved for funding by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The project involves the visits of the principal investigators and exchanges of young researchers between the institutions involved. The project focuses on the development and characterisation of Cu-containing bioactive glasses and the investigation of osteoblast cell growth in contact with such novel silicate glass compositions, aiming at developing new bioactive glass based scaffolds with therapeutic ion release capability for bone tissue engineering.