News 2012

• Visit from Dr Tim Douglas
  Dr Tim Douglas, a research associate at the Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Gent (Belgium) visited our Institute on 17^th December. We discussed collaborations in the field of nanocomposites for tissue engineering based on bioactive glass nanoparticles incorporated in soft matrices.
  In the photo: Dr. Detsch, Dr. T. Douglas and Prof. A. R. Boccaccini.
  

• Visit of Dr F. Ollila, BonAlive Biomaterials Ltd
  Dr Fredrik Ollila, (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini), Chief Executive Officer of BonAlive Biomaterials Ltd., visited our Institute on 12^th December 2012 to discuss the on-going collaboration in the field of bioactive glasses for bone tissue regeneration. BonAlive Biomaterials Ltd. is based in Turku, Finland.
  

• Emerging Fields Lecture: TOPbiomat
  On 3^rd December 2012, Prof. A. R. Boccaccini (Institute of Biomaterials) and Prof. R. Horch (Chair for Plastic and Hand Surgery) presented the Emerging Fields project "TOPbiomat" in the framework of the Emerging Fields Lectures Series of our University. Prof. Heike Walles of the Unversity of Würzburg was the invited speaker
  

November 2012

• Special Issue: "Materials for Healthcare Applications, EUROMAT 2011" published in Biomedical Materials
  Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini together with Prof. J. Mano (University of Minho, Portugal), Dr. A. del Campo (MPI for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany) and Dr E. Verne (Polytechnic of Turin, Italy) have guest edited the special section "Materials for Healthcare Applications Symposium, EUROMAT 2011" in the journal Biomedical Materials. This special section contains 8 selected papers, written by invited authors based on their respective presentations at the Materials for Healthcare Applications Symposia at the EUROMAT 2011 conference held in Montpellier (France) in September 2011. The papers in this special section cover a wide range of biomaterials designed and characterized for applications in tissue engineering. Prof. Boccaccini acted as coordinator of the topic area "Materials for Healthcare Applications at EUROMAT 2011".
  The details of our paper published in this issue are here:
  J M García-García, L Garrido, I Quijada-Garrido, J Kaschta, D W Schubert and A R Boccaccini, Novel poly(hydroxyalkanoates)-based composites containing Bioglass® and calcium sulfate for bone tissue engineering, Biomed. Mater. 7 (2012).

• COST Action "NAMABIO": Dr T. Moskalewicz visits the Institute of Biomaterials
  Dr Tomasz Moskalewicz, senior research scientist and lecturer at AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow (Poland), visited our Institute on 19-30 November 2012 in the framework of a Short Term Scientific Mission under COST Action MP1005 "From nano to macro biomaterials (design, processing, characterization, modeling) and applications to stem cells regenerative orthopedic and dental medicine (NAMABIO)". Dr Moskalewicz is collaborating with our Institute on the development and characterisation of novel bioactive polymer-ceramic composite coatings on titanium alloy substrates for medical implants, processed by EPD, a topic related to the current activities of Workpages 1 and 2 within NAMABIO.
  
• 4^th Scientific Seminar of the "North-Bavaria Biomaterials Alliance (NBBA)
  The 4^th scientific seminar of the North-Bavaria Biomaterials Alliance (NBBA) was held on 27^th 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 5^th NBBA Seminar will be held in Würzburg next February 2013.
  

• EU-ITN GLACERCO meeting in Turin, Italy
  The Marie Curie Initial Training Network GLACERCO (Glass and Ceramic Composites for High technology) held the GLACERCO School, the second Network-wide Workshop and the Mid-Term Review meeting on 19-23 November 2012 at Polytechnic of Turin, Italy. Professor Boccaccini delivered the following lectures at the Glacerco School: "Mechanical Properties of Glass-Based Composites" and "Bioactive Glasses and Composites for Tissue Engineering". Rama K. S. Chinnam (PhD student), Anahi Philippart (PhD student) and Dr Sandra Cabanas-Polo (post doctoral reseacher), all pictured with Prof. Boccaccini, participated at the Network Workshop and gave overviews about their research projects.
  

   

• 4th TOPbiomat ("Emerging Fields") Scientific Seminar
  The fourth scientific seminar of the Emerging Fields Project "TOPbiomat" held on 13^th November 2012 at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, FAU. The seminar was chaired by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (Institute of Biomaterials) and Prof. Ben Fabry (Biophysics Group). The program of the seminar is available here.
  

• Special issue co-edited by Prof. A. R. Boccaccini in /Mater. Sci. Eng. A
  The special issue "A celebration of Prof. K. K. Chawla's distinguished contributions: fibres, foams and composites" has been published in Materials Science and Engineering A (Vol. 557, 15 November 2012). This special issue was co-edited by Prof. Nik Chawla (Arizona State University, USA), Dr G. M. Gladysz (Trelleborg Offshore, USA), Prof. P. D. Portella (BAM, Berlin) and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini. This issue contains selected papers presented at an honorary symposium to Prof. K. K. Chawla, which took place in October 2011 at the Materials Science and Technology (MST) Conference, held in Columbus, OH (USA). The papers cover several important fields in materials science and engineering, which reflect the wide variety of Prof. Chawla's research in particular in the areas of fibres, composites and porous materials, to which he has made impressive contributions over the years. Prof. Boccaccini acted also as co-organiser of the MST symposium to honor the research achievements of Prof. K. K. Chawla. Our contributing paper in this special issue is based on the development of stratified scaffolds for interface tissue engineering: Liverani, L., et al., Simple fabrication technique for multilayered stratified composite scaffolds suitable for interface tissue engineering, Mater. Sci. Eng. A. 557 (2012) 54-58.

• Student Success

  Congratulations to Tayyab Subhani who recently (6^th November 2012) passed his PhD oral examination at the Department of Materials, Imperial College London. The title of his PhD thesis is "Silica and borosilicate glass matrix composites containing carbon nanotubes". Tayyab was supervised by Prof. Dr. Aldo R. Boccaccini, Prof. W. E. (Bill) Lee and Prof. M. S. P. Shaffer (Imperial College London). In the photo Prof. Boccaccini and Tayyab Subhani at a previous conference.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

   

• Network of Argentinian Scientists in Germany (RCAA)
  Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini attended the meeting of the Advisory Committee of the Network of Argentinian Scientists in Germany (Red de Cientificos Argentinos en Alemania, RCAA) which was held on 8th-9th November 2012 at the MPI of Psychiatry in Munich. The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador of Argentina to the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Victorio Taccetti (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini and with Dr S. Kroyer, coordinator of RCAA) and by the Director of International Affairs of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovative Production (MInCyT) of Argentina, Ing. A. Menvielle. Prof. Boccaccini is the representative of the area "Engineering" to the Advisory Committee of RCAA. The meeting was also attended by representatives of BAYLAT, (Baviarian Centre for Latin America), Prof. A. Pagni (president) and Dr I. de Melo (executive director), pictured with Prof. Boccaccini. At this meeting, Prof. Boccaccini presented the poster "Design and development of novel matrices for tissue engineering and/or controlled drug delivery for pathologies of high social and economic impact", a research output of the collaboration between our Institute and the group of Prof. Dr. Viviana Mouriño (Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina).

• Visit from Nagoya Institute of Technology
  We received the visit of Prof. Yuji Iwamoto, Department of Frontier Materials, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology (NITECH) and Director of the International Center at NITECH, Japan (in the photo with Prof. A. R. Boccaccini and Mr Hideki Mizuno, visiting student from NITECH). We are collaborating in the field of electrophoretic deposition of bioactive silicate materials for developing coatings suitable for bone implants. This visit was part of our on-going collaboration with NITECH in the framework of the JSPS International Training Program led by NITECH "Institute of Ceramics Research and Education".
  

• Prof. Boccaccini: Invited speaker in Nuremberg
  Prof. Boccaccini will be an invited speaker at the Conference "Materials in Medical Engineering" (Werkstoffe für die Medizintechnik) to be held on 11^th December 2012 in Nuremberg. The conference is organised by "Forum MedTech Pharma e.v." and "Cluster Neue Werkstoffe". Prof. Boccaccini will present a talk on "Process technologies for bioceramics and composites for medical applications".

• Prof. Boccaccini: Invited speaker at CELLMAT 2012
  Prof. Boccaccini was one of the invited speakers at the "Cellular Materials CELLMAT 2012" conference held in Dresden on 7-9 November 2012. Prof. Boccaccini presented the lecture "Development of bioactive glass foams for bone regeneration and vascularisation" in the session "Bioengineering, biomaterials and life science, medical engineering".
  
  In the picture, Prof. Boccaccini with a group of colleagues attending the conference, from left to right: Prof. Y. Iwamoto (Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan), Dr U. Gonzenbach (ETH Zurich, Switzerland), Prof. A. R. Boccaccini, Dr T. Fey (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg), Prof. M. Scheffler (Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany), conference chairman, and Prof. P. Colombo (University of Padova, Italy). 

• Visit from Greece
  We received the visit of Ms Eleftheria Roumeli, PhD student of the Physics Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUT, Greece), in the framework of our DAAD funded project "Novel bionanocomposites for bone tissue engineering". This collaborative project enables the exchange of senior and young researchers between our Institute and AUT to carry out experimental studies on the fabrication and characterisation of a range of biodegradable nanocomposites containing silicate and other oxide nanofillers intended for bone tissue engineering.
  

  
  

• Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini in Thessaloniki
  In the framework of our DAAD funded project "Novel bionanocomposites for bone tissue engineering", Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini visited the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUT) on 29.10 - 1.11.2012. He was a guest at the Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology led by Prof. D. Bikiaris (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini). He also visited the Physics Department (Prof. K.M. Paraskevopoulos), the School of Dentistry (Prof. P. Koidis, Dr E. Kontonasaki) and Prof. E. Aifantis (Mechanics). Several exchanges of students and senior researchers are continuously taking place between our Institute and the mentioned Departments at AUT focusing on developing novel polymer matrix composites containing silicate and other oxide nanofillers.
  

• Department of Materials Science and Engineering is TOP 10 worldwide
  The Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg is one of the Top 10 Materials Departments worldwide, according to the EPFL ranking ("Quantitative Ranking of Engineering Disciplines (QRED)" ), which takes into consideration publications and citations of academics.

October 2012

• Visit of Dr. Nickolas Borzenkov (Lviv, Ukraine)
  We welcome Dr Nickolas Borzenkov of the Department of Organic Chemistry, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Lviv (Ukraine), who will carry out research at our Institute in the field of synthetic biopolymers for cardiac tissue engineering.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Special Section "Syntactic and Composite Foams" published in J. Mater. Science
  The special section "Syntactic and Composite Foams" co-edited by Dr G. M. Gladysz (Trelleborg Offshore, USA), Prof. K. K. Chawla (University of Alabama, USA) and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini, has been published in J. Mater. Sci. Volume 47, Number 15, 2012. This special section contains 8 papers written by invited authors based on their respective presentations at the "3rd International Conference on Syntactic and Composite Foams", held in May/June 2011 in Cetraro (Calabria), Italy.
  The papers cover a wide range of advanced foam structures for applications in the maritime, energy, biomedical and construction sectors. Prof. Boccaccini acted as co-chair of the conference.

• Special Issue "PacRim 9" published in J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Medicine
  Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini and Prof. Min Wang (The University of Hong Kong) have guest edited the special section "Biomaterials at PacRim9" in J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Med., Volume 23, Number 10, 2012. This special section contains13 papers, including two review articles, written by invited authors based on their respective presentations at the Biomaterials Symposium of the PacRim 9 conference held in Cairs, Australia in July 2011.
  The papers cover a wide range of biomaterials in medicine, namely, bioactive glasses, hydroxyapatite and calcium phosphates, polymer-bioceramic composites, advanced coatings with drug delivery function among other topics. Prof. Boccaccini acted as chair of the organizing committee of the Biomaterials Symposium at PacRim 2011.
  
  
• Materials Letters celebrates 30 years!
  The Special Issue celebrating the 30th anniversary of Materials Letters has been published and it will remain free for all to access until the end of the year.
  Prof. A. Willoughby (editor) and Prof. A. R. Boccaccini (editor-in-chief) tell about how the journal started and where it will go in the future (click here).

• Prof. Boccaccini: Visiting Professor in Slovenia
  Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini has been appointed visiting professor at the Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School in Ljubljana (Slovenia). He will deliver lectures in the fields of Colloid and Surface Chemistry and Electrophoretic Deposition. The Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School (IPS) was established in 2004 as an independent higher education institution. The School is supported by industry and by an international network of cooperating universities and research institutes from the European Union, USA, Japan, and other countries. Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI) provides the research-educational basis of the School. Our Institute collaborates also with the Nanostructured Materials Department at JSI (Prof. S. Kobe, Prof. S. Novak).

• Visitors from Japan

  Currently Dr H. Maeda (Assistant Professor at the Center for Fostering Young and Innovative Researchers, Nagoya Institute of Technology, NITECH, Japan) and Mr Hideki Mizuno (post-graduate student at the Department of Frontier Materials, Graduate School of Engineering Nagoya Institute of Technology) are visiting our Institute (in the photo with Prof. A. R. Boccaccini). They are working on the electrophoretic deposition of bioactive silicate materials for developing coatings suitable for bone implants. These visits are part of our on-going collaboration with NITECH in the framework of the JSPS International Training Program led by NITECH "Institute of Ceramics Research and Education".

• Prof. Boccaccini visits Rudjer Boskovic Institute in Zagreb (Croatia)
  In the framework of our DAAD funded collaborative project "Cu-Bioglass in bone regeneration strategies", Prof. Boccaccini visited recently the Rudjer Boskovic Institute in Zagreb (Croatia). The collaboration with Prof. Dr. Neven Zarkovic and Ms Lidija Milkovic and their team at the Laboratory of Oxidative Stress focuses on the advanced biological characterisation of Cu-containing bioactive glasses. Visits of young researchers are scheduled for 2012 and the continuation of the project is planned for next year.
  
  

September 2012

• MSE 2012, Darmstadt, 25-27 September 2012
  Prof. Boccaccini was the co-organiser (together with Dr I. Roy, Univ. of Westminster, UK) and session chair for the symposium "Biomaterials Applications" at the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE 2012) conference held in Darmstadt (Germany) on 25-27 September 2012. The conference was organised by the German Materials Society (DGM). Prof. Boccaccini gave an oral presentation on "Biomimetic poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) scaffolds for cardiac patch applications", a topic in the framework of EU project BIOSCENT.
  Ms Nooeaid Patcharakamon, PhD student at our Institute, presented the oral/poster entitled "Preparation of bilayered scaffolds for osteochondral tissue engineering based on 45S5 Bioglass(R) and biodegradable polymers" and Ms Pooja Basnett, PhD student based at University of Westminster (UoW), UK, co-supervised by Dr Ipsita Roy (UoW) and Prof. Boccaccini, presented the poster "Polyhydroxyalkanoates, their novel blends and composites".
  
  
• Visit from Buenos Aires
  Prof. Dr. Viviana Mourino and Mr Juan P. Cattalini of the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, visited our Institute during September in the framework of the collaborative project "Design and development of novel matrices for tissue engineering and/or drug delivery for pathologies of high social and economic impact". The project is funded by the International Bureau of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in Germany, and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovative Production in Argentina. It involves the exchange of senior and junior researchers and has as main aim the development of 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.
  
  

• London Materials Society: Programme of Events
  The London Materials Society (LMS), the London chapter of the UK Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, has announced the programme of events for the period 2012-1013. Prof. A. R. Boccaccini is a member of the Council of LMS as International Representative.
  
  
• Prof. Boccaccini: invited speaker in London
  Prof. Boccaccini gave an invited lecture at the 5^th International Workshop on Advanced Ceramics (IWAC 05) held on 10-11 September 2012 at Imperial College London and hosted by the UK Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics (CASC). He presented a talk on "Progress on the development of bioactive glass scaffolds for bone tissue engineering". The IWAC series is organised in collaboration of Nagoya Institute of Technology (Japan), Imperial College London (UK), University of Limoges (France) and University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. IWAC06 will be held in 2014 in Erlangen.

• Emerging Fields Project TOPbiomat: First Master Thesis
  On 13^th September, Ms Alexandra Grigore (student of the Elite Masters Course: Advanced Materials and Processes) presented successfully the results of her Master thesis project entitled "Development and characterization of soft matrices for cell encapsulation".
  This research project was carried out under supervision of Dr. Rainer Detsch, Prof. Ben Fabry (Biophysics Group, FAU) and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (pictured with Ms Grigore), as a collaborative project in the framework of the FAU Emerging Fields Initiative Project TOPbiomat.

• First collaboration with the Erlangen Dental School
  The Diploma-thesis of Mr S. Kreppel on "Influence of bioactive nanoparticles on the mechanical properties of dental adhesives" co-supervised by Dr. U. Lohbauer (Dental School), Dr. H. Hornberger and Prof. A. R. Boccaccini (pictured with Mr Kreppel and Dr Lohbauer) has been submitted. This is the first output of the research collaboration of our Institute with the group of Dr Lohbauer. Collaboration in teaching activities is also on-going with participation of Dr H. Hornberger.
  There are plans for continuing the research collaboration between both research groups, focusing in the field of advanced bioactive composites for dental adhesives and on the application of bioactive glasses in dental tissue engineering.
  

August 2012

• Interview with Prof. Boccaccini in Argentina
  Prof. Boccaccini visited the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FCAI) of National University of Cuyo (San Rafael in Argentina) to discuss collaborations between FCAI and the Institute of Biomaterials at FAU. An interview with Prof. Boccaccini (in Spanish) in relation to his visit to FCAI has been published here.

• Prof. Boccaccini visits Catholic University of Salta, Argentina
  On August 23-26, 2012, Prof. A. R. Boccaccini and Dr. J. A. Roether (Institute of Polymer Materials, FAU) visited the Catholic University of Salta (UCASAL) in Argentina. They were invited speakers at the Biomaterials Workshop organised by Dr. A. Gorustovich, a CONICET researcher at UCASAL (in the picture with Prof. Boccaccini and Dr. Roether).
  There is a long standing research collaboration between Prof. Boccaccini and Dr. Gorustovich in the field of angiogenic effects of bioactive glasses, which has led to a series of publications, including the review paper:
  Gorustovich, A. A., Roether, J. A., Boccaccini, A. R., Effect of bioactive glasses on angiogenesis: A review of in vitro and in vivo evidences, Tissue Eng. Part B 16 (2010) 199-207.
  Dr. Gorustovich visited our Institute earlier this year with a fellowship of DAAD.
  
  
• Prof. Boccaccini visits Faculty of Applied Sciences, Argentina
  On August 21^st, 2012, Prof. A. R. Boccaccini visited the Faculty of Industrial Applied Sciences (FCAI), University of Cuyo, in San Rafael, Argentina.
  Prof. Boccaccini is international advisor of the research group "Materials" at FCAI, specifically in projects dealing with the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of biomaterials involving Dr Maria J. Santillan, Ing. Francisco Membrive and PhD student Ms Silvia Clavijo (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini and with other members of the group).
  The projects focus on the development of functional organic-inorganic coatings for orthopaedic applications fabricated by EPD which are also characterised at the Institute of Biomaterials, FAU.

• Prof. Boccaccini visits University of Buenos Aires in Argentina
  On July 30^th - August 3^rd, 2012, Prof. A. R. Boccaccini (WW7) and Dr J. A. Roether (WW5, Institute of Polymer Technology, FAU) visited the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina, in the framework of the project: "Design and fabrication of novel matrices for tissue engineering and drug delivery systems". This project is a collaboration between the Institute of Biomaterials of FAU and the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology at UBA, led by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (Erlangen) and Prof. Viviana Mourino (UBA) which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) of Germany and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovative Production (MinCyT) of Argentina.
  The project involves future exchanges of professors and young researchers. Prof. Mourino and J. P. Cattalini (UBA) will visit our Institute in September while Dipl.-Ing. A. Hoppe (FAU) will visit UBA later in 2012.
  

July 2012

• Materials Letters celebrates 30 years
  The Special Issue celebrating the 30^th anniversary of Materials Letters has been published and it will remain free for all to access until the end of the year. Prof. A. Willoughby (editor) and Prof. A. R. Boccaccini (editor-in-chief) tell about how the journal started and where it will go in the future (click here).
  
  
• Visit from Israel
  On 26^th July we received the visit of Prof. Diana Golodnitsky, professor at the School of Chemistry and Wolfson Applied Materials Research Centre, Tel Aviv University (Israel). Prof Golodnitsky discussed with Prof. Boccaccini topics for research collaboration between TAU and FAU in the field of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of nanoparticles for functional applications. Prof. Golodnitsky was also a speaker at the 4^th International Conference on EPD, held in Mexico in 2011.
  

• Visit from Maney Publishing (UK)
  Mr. Mark Hull, publishing manager at Maney Publishing (UK) visited our Institute on 18^th July. He discussed with Prof. Boccaccini and with other members of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering about publications opportunities in several materials science journals published by Maney. Prof. Boccaccini serves in the editorial board of the 3 journals published by Maney: Advances in Applied Ceramics, International Materials Reviews and Bubble Science, Engineering and Technology.
  
  

• 3^rd TOPbiomat ("Emerging Fields") Scientific Seminar
  The third scientific seminar of the Emerging Fields Project "TOPbiomat" was held on 18^th July 2012 at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, FAU. The seminar was chaired by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (Institute of Biomaterials). The main topic was "Clinical aspects of tissue engineering" with presentations by Prof. Karl Andreas Schlegel, Clinic of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Erlangen Medical Center, Dr. Ulrich Kneser, M.D., Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, University of Erlangen Medical Center, Prof. Christoph Alexiou, Head Division for Experimental Oncology and Nanomedicine (SEON), University of Erlangen Medical Centre and Prof. Christoph Garlichs, Department of Cardiology, Angiology, University of Erlangen Medical Center. The program of the seminar can be seen here.
  
  
• Presentation at University of Duisburg-Essen
  Prof. Boccaccini was an invited speaker at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, on 16^th July.
  He presented the lecture "Electrophoretic Deposition: from Traditional Materials to Cells and Nanotechnology" at the Inorganic Chemistry Colloquium.
  
  
• Visit from Colombia
  Prof. Juan Jose Pavon Palacio of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Antioquia in Medellin (Colombia), visited our Institute on 10^th July 2012. There are overlapping research interests with our activities in the field of bioactive coatings for 3D macroporous Ti-alloy based scaffolds and a collaborative research project was planned.
  
  
• Visit from Croatia
  On 10-12 July we received the visit of Ms. Lidija Milkovic and Dr Morana Jaganjac of Rudjer Boskovic Institute in Zagreb (Croatia), in the framework of our DAAD funded collaborative project "Cu-Bioglass in bone regeneration strategies". Discussions took place on the advances of the project and new experiments were carried out on the characterisation of Cu-containing bioactive glasses. Dipl.-Ing. A. Hoppe and Dr.-Ing. R. Detsch are also involved in this research collaboration.
  
• Visit from Argentina
  A delegation of the Universidad Nacional de San Martin (UNSAM) in Argentina, led by the rector Prof. Dr. Carlos Ruta, visited the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) on 11^th July. The delegates visited our Institute and discussed research collaborations in the field of biomaterials with Prof. A. R. Boccaccini and with Dr. R. Detsch. During this visit a specific agreement was signed between UNSAM and the Faculty of Engineering of our University, with participation of Prof. Boccaccini representing the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of FAU. The agreement contemplates the exchange of students, researchers and professors between both universities. In the photo the visitors from Argentina with Prof. Boccaccini and Dr. R. Detsch.
  
• Prof. Boccaccini at MedTech Pharma 2012
  (Image source: Fotografie Mauer/Bayern Innovativ GmbH)
  Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini was an invited speaker at the MedTech Pharma Congress 2012, held in Nuremberg (Germany) on 4-5 July 2012. He presented a talk on "Bioactive Materials for Tissue Engineering: Progress and Challenges" in the Symposium Biomaterials.
  

• International Forum on Advanced Material Science and Technology (IFAMST)
  Prof. Boccaccini has been selected member of the International Organizing Committee of the "8^th International Forum on Advanced Material Science and Technology (IFAMST)" to be held in Fukuoka (Japan) from August 1-4, 2012.

• 3^rd NBBA Seminar in Bayreuth
  The 3^rd scientific seminar of the Northern-Bavaria Biomaterials Alliance (NBBA) was held on 2nd July 2012 in Bayreuth, hosted by Prof. Thomas Scheibel (Chair for Biomaterials, University of Bayreuth), with participation of professors and young researchers from Würzburg, Erlangen and Bayreuth. Representing the Erlangen Institute of Biomaterials, Ms Sigrid Seuss presented the talk "Electrophoretic Deposition of Bioactive and Soft Coatings on Metallic Substrates" and Ms Patcharakamon Nooeaid talked about "Scaffolds Concepts for Osteochondral Tissue Engineering". The complete program of the seminar is available here. In the photos the participants from our Institute and Profs. Scheibel, Boccaccini and Groll. The 4^th NBBA seminar will be held in Erlangen next October.
  
• Cellular Materials - "CELLMAT 2012" Conference
  Prof. A. R. Boccaccini will be an invited speaker at the Cellular Materials "CELLMAT 2012" conference which will take place on 7-9 November 2012 in Dresden (Germany). Prof. Boccaccini will deliver a presentation on "Development of bioactive glass foams for bone regeneration and vascularisation".

June 2012

• Prof. Boccaccini at Centre for Biomaterial Development in Teltow
  Prof. Boccaccini was an invited speaker at the Colloquium of the Centre for Biomaterial Development in Teltow and institute of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, led by Prof. A. Lendlein. On 20^th June 2012, he gave a lecture on "Advances in the Fabrication and Applications of Bioactive Scaffolds in Bone Tissue Engineering".

• Visit from Egyptian researchers
  Prof. Salma M. Naga and Mr. Hamad S. Abdelwabad of the Ceramics Department, National Research Centre from Cairo in Egypt, started their visit to our Institute on 18^th June 2012 in the framework of the project "Synthesis, characterization and potential applications of oxide ceramics in bone substitution medicine". Porous bioceramic materials prepared in Egypt are being combined with biopolymers and tested in our laboratories in terms of their biological compatibility. In the photo the visitors with Dr. Julia Will and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini.
  
  
  
• Visit of Dr. David McPhail (Imperial College London)
  Dr. David McPhail, expert in surface phenomena including corrosion, oxidation, diffusion and segregation and manager of the surface analysis facility at the Department of Materials, Imperial College London, visited our Institute on 11-12 June. He discussed with Prof. Boccaccini collaborations between his group and our Institute in the field of surface characterization of biomaterials. He also presented the "Materials Science Colloquium" of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering with the title "The Application of TOF-SIMS-LEIS, FIB-SIMS and Stable Isotope Exchange Protocols in Materials Science".
  
  

May 2012

• Strategies in Tissue Engineering (WITE), Würzburg
  Almost everyone at our Institute (image right) attended the 3^rd International Conference on "Strategies in Tissue Engineering", held in Würzburg (Germany), on May 23-25, 2012.
  At this conference, Professor Boccaccini (image left) organised the symposium on "Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine", which attracted 12 contributed presentations, 4 keynote lectures, and numerous posters. The complete program is available here.
  Several contributions came from our Institute, including those of Dipl.-Ing. Alexander Hoppe, Dr. Ranjana Rai and Dr. Rainer Detsch who gave oral presentations. Posters were presented by Dipl.-Ing. Alexander Hoppe, Dipl.-Ing. Jasmin Hum, Dipl.-Ing. Sigrid Seuss and Dr.-Ing. Rainer Detsch. Dr. Julia Will and Prof. Boccaccini served as members of the organising committee.
  
  
  
• 2^nd Scientific Seminar of "Emerging Fields" Project "TOPbiomat"
  The second scientific seminar of the Emerging Fields Project "TOPbiomat" was held on 30^th May 2012 at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, FAU. The seminar was chaired by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (Institute of Biomaterials). The main topic was "Biomaterials in Tissue Engineering" with presentations by Prof. S. Virtanen, Institute of Surface Science and Corrosion, FAU, Dr. J. Kaschta, Institute of Polymer Materials, FAU and Dipl.-Phys. A. Rumpel, Institute of Particle Technology, FAU. The program of the seminar can be seen here.
  
  
• London Materials Society
  Prof. A. R. Boccaccini was elected International Representative of the London Materials Society at the Annual General Meeting held in London on 24^th May 2012.
  The London Materials Society (LMS) is the local (London) chapter of the UK Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3). Prof. Boccaccini has been a member of the LMS Council for 10 years and he was the Chairman of LMS in the period 2005/2006.

• Professor Mirka El Fray (ERASMUS lecturer) visited our Institute
  Prof. Mirka El Fray, Director of the West Pomeranian Center of Advanced Technologies and Professor at the Polymer Institute, West Pomeranian University of Technology (ZUT) in Szczecin (Poland), visited the Institute of Biomaterials on 21^st - 25^th May 2012.
  In the framework of an ERASMUS lectureship, she delivered lectures on "Biopolymers in Medicine".
  Prof. Boccaccini and members of our Institute discussed with Prof. Mirka El Fray the continuing research collaborations and student and research exchanges between Erlangen and the Polymer Institute at ZUT.
• International visits
  This week we had the visit of Dr Eva García Lecina, Head of Coatings Unit, CIDETEC, San Sebastian (Spain) to discuss collaboration in the field of composite nanostructured coatings for biomedical applications. We also had the visit of Mr Nikos Nianias, PhD student at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology in Thessaloniki (Greece), who is visiting us in the framework of the DAAD funded project "Novel bionanocomposites for bone tissue engineering".
• Prof. Boccaccini visits Jozef Stefan Institute in Slovenia
  In the framework of a Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) of the COST Action MP1005 "From nano to macro biomaterials (design, processing, characterization, modeling) and applications to stem cells regenerative orthopedic and dental medicine (NAMABIO)" Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini visited the Department for Nanostructured Materials at Jozef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana (Slovenia) on 6-12 May 2012. He presented the invited lecture "Advances in the Applications of Bioactive Glasses in Tissue Engineering". Discussions about new research projects and collaborations were also held with Professor Sasa Novak and Prof. Spomenka Kobe (Head of Department) (pictured with Prof. Boccaccini).

• Prof. Boccaccini: invited speaker at MedTech Pharma 2012
  Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Aldo R. Boccaccini will be an invited speaker at the Congress MedTech Pharma 2012 to be held in Nuremberg on 4-5 July 2012.
  Professor Boccaccini will speak in the "Biomaterials" session on "Bioactive Materials for Tissue Engineering: Progress and Challenges". This international congress is organised by the Forum MedTech Pharma e.V. and attracts researchers from industry and academia as well as manufacturers, suppliers and clinical users from both the medical and pharmaceutical sectors. It is one of the most important events for the healthcare industry.

• Visit of Prof. I. Dlouhy (Czech Academy of Sciences)
  In the framework of our EU funded GLACERCO project, on 4^th May 2012, we received the visit of Prof. Ivo Dlouhy and Mr. Luca Bertolla (PhD student) of the Institute of Physics of Materials, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno (Czech Republic), who are collaborating with our Institute in one of the subprojects of GLACERCO related to the measurement of the mechanical properties of bioactive glass and composite scaffolds. Further collaboration is planned which will involve the analysis of fracture mechanisms of polymer coated scaffolds under compressive loads.
  In the photo: Mr Luca Bertolla, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini and Prof. I. Dlouhy.

• Visit from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  In the framework of our DAAD funded collaborative project with the Chemistry Department, Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Aristotle University Thessaloniki (Greece) on "Novel bionanocomposites for bone tissue engineering", Profs. D. Bikiaris, E. Pavlidou and C. Chrissafis visited the Institute of Biomaterials on 2-4 May 2012. The research collaboration involves exchange of senior and young researchers between Erlangen and Thessalonikki during the 2 year project, investigating the processing, bioactivity and bone cell response of a new family of bionanocomposites.
  In the image (left to right): Dr. Julia Will (Erlangen), Prof. E. Pavlidou (Thessaloniki), Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (Erlangen), Prof. D. Bikiaris (Thessaloniki) and Prof. C. Chrissafis (Thessaloniki).
  
  
• Professor Boccaccini: Chairman of BioMed 2013
  Professor Aldo R. Boccaccini, head of the Institute of Biomaterials, was elected chairman of the international conference BioMed 2013 (10^th IASTED International Conference on Biomedical Engineering), to be held on February 13-15, 2013 in Innsbruck (Austria). The conference is sponsored by the International Association of Science and Technology for Development (IASTED). Dr R. Detsch will be organizing a focused session on "Rapid prototyping technologies in Tissue Engineering" at the BioMed 2013 conference.
  

April 2012

• 2^nd NBBA Seminar in Würzburg
  The 2^nd scientific seminar of the Nord-Bavarian Biomaterials Alliance (NBBA) was held on 17^th April 2012 in Würzburg, hosted by Prof. Jürgen Groll (Department for Functional Materials in Medicine and Dentistry ), University of Würzburg, with participation of professors and young researchers from Würzburg, Erlangen and Bayreuth. Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini delivers a lecture on "Biomaterials research in Erlangen" while Ms Leonie Strobel (Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen) talked about "Generation of bioartificial bone substitutes".
  The complete program of the seminar is available here.
  In the photo, Profs. Groll (Würzburg), Boccaccini (Erlangen) and Scheibel (Bayreuth).
  The next NBBA seminar will take place in July 2012 in Bayreuth.
  
  
• Visit of researchers from VITO, Belgium
  On 16^th April, we received the visit of Dr Steven Mullens, researcher at VITO, Mol in Belgium, and Mr. V. Ozhukil Kollath, who are collaborating on a project focusing on electrophoretic deposition of bioactive coatings also with Prof. R. Cloots, University of Liege in Belgium. The collaboration with our Institute will include the optimization of the EPD technique to deposit soft polymer-inorganic filler coatings for orthopaedic applications.
  
  
• 1^st Seminar of Emerging Field Project: TopBiomat
  The first scientific seminar of the Emerging Fields Project "TopBiomat" was held on 28^th March 2012 at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, FAU. The seminar was chaired by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (Institute of Biomaterials). The main topic was "Protein based Biomaterials" with presentations by Prof. U. Sonnewald, Division of Biochemistry, FAU, Prof. Tim Clark, Computer Chemistry Center, FAU, Prof. B. Fabry, Center for Medical Physics and Technology, FAU, and Prof. N. Tirelli, School of Biomedicine and the School of Materials, University of Manchester, UK. The complete program is available here.
  
  
  
• Initial Training Network (ITN) (BIOBONE): Bioceramics for Bone Repair
  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 our Institute. The total Funding awarded is: 3 700 000 €.
  The coordinating institution is Imperial College London (UK), where Prof. Boccaccini is also a visiting professor. The project coordinator is Prof. E. Saiz. The kick-off meeting was held at Imperial College in early March. 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 our 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.

March 2012

• Materials Science and Engineering Expert Committee
  Prof. Boccaccini was one of the invited participants at the workshop "Future Materials and Challenges" organised by the Materials Science and Engineering Expert Committee (MatSEEC) of the European Science Foundation, held in Leuven (Belgium), on 26-27 March 2012. Prof. Boccaccini represented the research area "Biomaterials".

• Visit of Prof. Nicola Tirelli of University of Manchester, UK

  Professor Nicola Tirelli, Professor of Polymers and Biomaterials at the School of Biomedicine and the School ofMaterials, University of Manchester (UK), visited our Institute on 27-28 March 2012. He discussed with Dr. R. Detsch and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini areas of common research interest in the field of biopolymer encapsulation of bioactive molecules and cells, which are relevant for the current TOPbiomat (Emerging Field Iniative) project "Bioactive materials, cell and tissue printing: New therapeutic approaches for organ level tissue engineering and regenerative medicine". Professor Tirelli also presented the talk "Cell interactions of hyaluronic acid constructs" at the 1^st Scientific Seminar of the TOPbiomat project.
  
  

• Visit of scientists from Boskovic Institute (Croatia)

  On 21-23 March we received the visit of Prof. Neven Zarkovic and Ms. Lidija Milkovic of Rudjer Boskovic Institute in Zagreb (Croatia), in the framework of our DAAD funded collaborative project "Cu-Bioglass in bone regeneration strategies".
  

  Discussions took place on the advances of the project and new experiments in Erlangen and Zagreb were planned. The research 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. Dipl.-Ing. A. Hoppe, Dr.-Ing. R. Detsch and Prof. A. R. Boccaccini will visit Rudjer Boskovic Institute later in 2012.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Network of Argentinian Scientists in Germany
  Prof. Boccaccini attended the meeting of the Advisory Committee of the Network of Argentinian Scientists in Germany (Red de Cientificos Argentinos en Alemania, RCAA) which was held on 16^th March 2012 at the Argentinean Embassy in Berlin. The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador of Argentina to the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Victorio Taccetti. Prof. Boccaccini is the representative of the area "Engineering" in the Advisory Committee of RCAA.

• 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. Dr.-Ing. habil. Aldo R. Boccaccini (Institute of Biomaterials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, FAU) and Prof. Dr 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) in Germany, and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovative Production in 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.
  
  
• Prof. Boccaccini invited speaker at BioTiNet Workshop in Belgium
  Prof. A. R. Boccaccini was an invited speaker at the 2^nd BioTiNet workshop held in Leuven (Belgium) on 5-6 March 2012. He presented a lecture on "The development of bioactive coatings for medical implants based on electrophoretic deposition". The workshop was organised by the EU Initial Training Network (ITN) "Innovative Biocompatible Titanium-based Structures for Orthopaedics", which is coordinated by Prof. Juergen Eckert, Leibniz-Institut für Festkörper- und Werkstoffforschung Dresden (IFW Dresden).
  
  
• Prof. Boccaccini: plenary speaker at DKG conference
  Prof. Boccaccini was one of the plenary speakers at the Annual Meeting of the German Ceramics Society held in Nuremberg on 05. - 07. March 2012.
  He presented a lecture on "Bioceramics in Medical Applications". At the same conference, Sigrid Seuss presented the talk "Electrophoretic deposition of inorganic materials in AC EPD conditions from aqueous suspensions". Prof. Boccaccini also gave a talk on "Cu-containing bioactive glass scaffolds for bone tissue engineering" based on research carried out by Alexander Hoppe in collaboration with the University Hospital Erlangen (D. Hiller, U. Kneser) and the Institute of Glass and Ceramics (R. Meszaros, L. Wondraczek). A Poster entitled "Development of nanoscale bioactive glass powder by mechanical milling" in collaboration with C. Eisermann, S. Romeis and W. Peukert of the Institute of Particle Technology, was also presented.
  

February 2012

• Prof. Boccaccini invited speaker at: German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
  Prof. Boccaccini presented the lecture "Interactions between biomaterials and the biological environment: the materials side" at the 41^st Annual Congress of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, held in Freiburg on 12-15 February 2012. He spoke at the Symposium "From Foreign Body to Infection".
  
  
• European Virtual Institute on Knowledge-based Multifunctional Materials
  At the General Assembly Meeting of the European Virtual Institute on Knowledge-based Multifunctional Materials (KMM-VIN), held on 22^nd February 2012 in Brussels, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini was elected coordinator of the Working Group Biomaterials (together with Prof. C. Hellmich, Technical University of Vienna, Austria). Prof. Boccaccini is also a member of the Governing Council of KMM-VIN. KMM-VIN is a single legal entity with a supranational character to offer integrated basic and applied commercial research, educational and innovation activities in the field of knowledge-based multifunctional materials. The aim of KMM-VIN is to foster the creation of a powerful platform for research and development and industrial application of advanced multifunctional materials in order that Europe may become a global power in this field, thus contributing to enhancing the quality of life of European society.
  
  
  
  
• Symposium "Nanoceramics and Ceramic Based Nanocomposites"
  Prof. A. R. Boccaccini is a member of the Scientific Committee of the Symposium "Nanoceramics and Ceramic Based Nanocomposites", which is being organised in the framework of the European Materials Research Society (E-MRS) 2012 Fall Meeting, to be held in Warsaw (Poland), 17 - 21 September 2012. The aim of this Symposium is to review the state-of-the-art in the field of nanostructured ceramics and ceramic based nanocomposites focusing on the relationship between basic science and engineering at the nanoscale level. For abstract submission click here.
  
  
• TOP ARTICLE
  Our recent article "Copper-releasing, boron-containing bioactive glass-based scaffolds coated with alginate for bone tissue engineering" (Authors: Erol, M.M.; Mourino, V.; Newby, P.; Chatzistavrou, X.; Roether, J.A.; Hupa, L.; Boccaccini, A.R.) has been listed at number 2 in the site "Top 25 Hottest Articles" of Acta Biomaterialia, which includes the most downloaded articles of the journal in the period October-December 2011.
  
  
• 1^st Annual Meeting of the EU ITN project GLACERCO
  The first annual meeting of the ITN EU Project GLACERCO was held on 8-10 February 2012 at the Institute of Physics of Materials, Czech Academy of Sciences in Brno (Czech Republic). Mr Rama K. S. Chinnam (PhD student) and Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Aldo R. Boccaccini participated representing our Institute (see photo). Chinnam gave a presentation on "Study of Sinter-crystallisation of wastes and vitrified residues". Prof. Boccaccini is a member of the Supervisory Board and of the Education Board of GLACERCO.
  In the second image: Prof. Monica Ferraris (Polytechnic of Turin, Italy, project coordinator), Rama K. S. Chinnam, Aldo R. Boccaccini and Dr Ivo Dlouhy (Institute of Physics of Materials, Brno, organiser of the meeting).
  
  
• Dr Hideyuki Negishi returns to Japan
  Dr. Hideyuki Negishi, senior scientist at the Bio-chemical Processes Group, Research Institute for Innovation in Sustainable Chemistry, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Tsukuba (Japan), is returning this week to his country. Hideyuki was a visiting researcher at our Institute for 1 year. He supported our research on electrophoretic deposition methods to obtain nanoscale silica and glass coatings. He also worked together with Prof. Wilhelm Schwieger and Ms Stephanie Feldmeier (Institute of Chemical Reactions Engineering, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) and developed electrophoretic zeolite membranes for separation and catalysis processes.
  We wish Dr Negishi all the best in his future research activities back in Japan!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Collaboration with Croatia
  A project in the field of "Cu-Bioglass in bone regeneration strategies", a collaboration with Dr. Neven Zarkovic and Dr Lidija Milkovic of Rudjer Boskovic Institute in Zagreb (Croatia), has been approved by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for funding.
  Dipl.-Ing. Alexander Hoppe, Dr.-Ing. Rainer Detsch and Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Aldo R. Boccaccini are involved in this project which involves the development and characterisation of Cu-containing bioactive glasses and the investigation of osteoblast cell growth in contact with such novel silicate glass compositions.
  
  

January 2012

• 1^st Scientific Seminar of the "North-Bavarian Biomaterials Alliance (NBBA)"
  The 1^st Scientific Seminar of the "North-Bavarian Biomaterials Alliance (NBBA)" was held at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, School of Engineering, on 17^th January 2012, organised by Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (Institute of Biomaterials, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) in collaboration with Prof. J. Groll (Department for Functional Materials in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Würzburg ) and Prof. T. Scheibel (Chair for Biomaterials and Fiberlab, University of Bayreuth) (pictured).
  
  Very interesting oral contributions by PhD students and young researchers from the Universities of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Würzburg and Bayreuth were presented (program). Almost 100 people attended the seminar, including Master and PhD students, post-doctoral researchers and academics. Interesting discussions originated by the high quality, interdisciplinary topics presented and the interaction among students and researchers from the 3 Universities was promoted (pictures).
  
  
• COST Action "NAMABIO": Dr T. Moskalewicz visits the Institute of Biomaterials
  Dr Tomasz Moskalewicz, senior research scientist and lecturer at AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow (Poland), visited our Institute on 9-20 January 2012 in the framework of a Short Term Scientific Mission under COST Action MP1005: "From nano to macro biomaterials (design, processing, characterization, modeling) and applications to stem cells regenerative orthopedic and dental medicine (NAMABIO)". Dr Moskalewicz carried out a preliminary investigation on the electrophoretic deposition of novel bioactive composite coatings on titanium alloy substrates for medical implants, a topic of high relevance for current research activities within NAMABIO.
  
  
• Best Poster Award
  The poster entitled "Glass composites containing carbon nanotubes: Processing, characterisation and prospects for toughening" from Tayyab Subhani, Johann Cho, Fawad Inam, Michael J. Reece, William E. Lee, Aldo R. Boccaccini and Milo S. Shaffer, received the first price during the International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites (ICACC 2011) and was appreciated during the Plenar Meeting of ICACC 2012, in Daytona Beach, USA (22.-27. Jan. 2012).
  
  
• BIOSCENT progress meeting in Paris
  Dr. Ranjana Rai and Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini attended the progress meeting of the project "BIOactive highly porous and injectable scaffolds controlling stem cell recruitment, proliferation and differentiation and enabling angiogenesis for Cardiovascular Engineered Tissues” (BIOSCENT), a European Union FP7 project in Paris on 18-19 Jan. 2012. The meeting was organised by one of the consortium partner member, L'Institut Mutualiste Montsouris (IMM). Dr Rai presented project results on: "Advances in the development of cardiac patch based on biodegradable elastomeric materials". In the photo, Prof. Elisabetta Rosselini (BIOSCENT scientific coordinator), Prof. Boccaccini and Dr. Rai.