Tissue engineering is an interdisciplinary field aiming at the fabrication of living tissues and organs in vitro. In the group, we focus on the new strategies of formulation of biomaterials (typically hydrogels containing living cells or porous scaffolds suitable for cell seeding) at a mesoscale, i.e., at the scale of small tissues or tissue fragments (typically 100 – 1000 micrometers). In particular, we dedicate our research efforts towards:
- formulation of new types of compartmentalized microparticles, so-called ‘microbeads’, for applications as cell carriers,
- development of an organ-on-chip platform for systematic investigation of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis,
- engineering of organoids such as pancreatic islets in vitro via on-chip cell re-aggregation using microfluidics.
Relevant publications:
- Rinoldi, C.; Costantini, M.; Kijenska-Gawronska, E.; Testa, S.; Fornetti, E.; Heljak, M.; Cwiklinska, M.; Buda, R.; Baldi, J.; Cannata, S.; Guzowski, J.; Gargioli, C.; Khademhosseini, A.; Swieszkowski, W., Tendon Tissue Engineering: Effects of Mechanical and Biochemical Stimulation on Stem Cell Alignment on Cell-Laden Hydrogel Yarns. Advanced Healthcare Materials 2019, 8 (7).
- Costantini, M.; Guzowski, J.; Zuk, P. J.; Mozetic, P.; De Panfilis, S.; Jaroszewicz, J.; Heljak, M.; Massimi, M.; Pierron, M.; Trombetta, M.; Dentini, M.; Swieszkowski, W.; Rainer, A.; Garstecki, P.; Barbetta, A., Electric Field Assisted Microfluidic Platform for Generation of Tailorable Porous Microbeads as Cell Carriers for Tissue Engineering. Advanced Functional Materials 2018, 28 (20).