iBB

The production of piezoelectric constructs in order to address osteoporotic-related fractures holds significant promise. Such scaffolds could be used to mimic the native piezoelectric features of bone as well as assisting electrical stimulation-based therapies, which have been found to accelerate bone repair. In an article recently published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, iBB researchers Frederico Barbosa, João Silva, Fábio Garrudo, Marta Carvalho, Paola Alberte, Leonor Resina and Frederico Ferreira, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Nottingham and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, developed novel hydroxyapatite-filled PVDF-TrFE nanofibers with enhanced piezoelectrical properties and osteogenic potential.

CellAgri Portugal, the Portuguese Association for Cellular Agriculture Development, is a recently created independent non-profit organization, headquartered at IST-TagusPark.

The mission of CellAgri Portugal is to facilitate and encourage the cooperative development of cellular_agriculture in Portugal as well as to inform the public about the industrial, scientific, and technological developments in the field involving the Portuguese community worldwide.

Joaquim Cabral is the president of CellAgri Portugal and Carlos Rodrigues is the executive director. CellAgri Portugal also counts with the iBB researchers Frederico Ferreira, Ana Fernandes-Platzgummer, Paola Alberte, and the iBB PhD students Diana Marques and Hélder Tavares.

Magnetic hydrogels have recently been drawing a lot of attention in the scientific community due to their remote controllability and high biocompatibility. By combining these materials with a 3D bioprinting technique, it is possible to fabricate intricate structures responsive to an external magnetic stimulus, thus allowing the tuning of the constructs properties to better recapitulate the microarchitecture of native tissues. In this article recently published in the International Journal of Bioprinting, iBB researchers Duarte Almeida, Paola Sanjuan-Alberte, João C. Silva and Frederico Ferreira provided an overview of the current state of the art of magnetic hydrogels, exploring the production of the magnetic components and their introduction in the hydrogels, and emphasizing the current research made on the applications of these materials for tissue engineering strategies.