New International research project with Australia

The project “Assessment of vascularisation potential of 3D Bioglass scaffolds for tissue engineering of large bone defects using a mechanobiological approach” (“Mechanobioglass”), which is a research collaboration with Prof. Peter Pivonka‘s group at St. Vincent’s Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Australia, has been approved for funding by DAAD within the Australia-Germany Joint Research Cooperation Scheme. In this project we will investigate relevant properties of novel bioactive glass scaffolds affecting their vascularisation potential. Scaffolds fabricated by the traditional foam replica method and incorporating innovative porosity designs [1] will be considered. The project includes a combination of modeling and experimental approaches to characterize permeability and diffusivity of scaffolds. This joint research project will offer the opportunity to young and senior scientists of both Institutes to visit each other and to foster research links in complementary fields.

[1] 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.