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.

As current treatment options for cartilage degeneration remain ineffective, tissue engineering has emerged as an exciting approach to create cartilage substitutes. In particular, hydrogels seem to be suitable candidates for this purpose due to their high biocompatibility and customizability, being able to be tailored to fit the biophysical properties of native cartilage. Moreover, these hydrogel matrices can be combined with conductive materials in order to simulate the natural electrochemical properties of articular cartilage. In this recent review published in the journal Gels, iBB researchers Filipe Miguel (MSc student in Biotechnology), Frederico Barbosa (PhD student in Bioengineering), Prof. Frederico Ferreira and Dr. João Silva highlight the most common conductive materials combined with hydrogels and their diverse applications, and discuss the current state of research on the development of electrically conductive hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering.

The repair of bone defects remains an important challenge in current orthopaedic clinical practice. Novel approaches, including electrical stimulation-based therapies, have been gaining traction due to their encouraging results in both in vivo and in vitro settings. The development of electroconductive scaffolds to assist this type of therapy holds significant promise, as such constructs could be used to guide electrical stimuli directly to the damaged site, therefore increasing the effectiveness of the regeneration process. In an article recently published in the journal International Journal of Molecular Sciences, iBB researchers Frederico Barbosa, João Silva, Fábio Garrudo and Frederico Ferreira, in collaboration with colleagues from Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT) and CERENA, developed mineralized and electroconductive PEDOT:PSS-based nanofibers with bone-like features. This project was developed under the scope of Frederico Barbosa’s PhD thesis, supervised by Frederico Ferreira and João Silva.