POLITECNICO DI TORINO was founded more than 150 years ago and represents a leading public university, in Italy and Europe, in technical-scientific teaching and research with over 33,000 students from 120 countries. Politecnico di Torino is part of some of the major European interuniversity networks, such as CESAER, CLUSTER, E.C.I.U, EUA, and CMU. These contacts will permit to spread and disseminate information and project results to a wider number of institutions. In the 7th Framework Program (2007-2013) it is/was involved in 233 projects corresponding to more than 66.6 M€. In the first two years of the Horizon 2020 European funding program 58 projects were financed with 25 M€. The participation in many international projects allows Politecnico di Torino to count on a great experience both in scientific projects and administrative management. In November 2013 Politecnico di Torino has been acknowledged by the European Commission for its commitment towards the implementation of the Charter and Code through the 'HR Excellence in Research' award.
POLITO is the Coordinator of MOZART and as such in charge of the scientific management and representation of the project. Two different groups of the Politecnico di Torino are involved in the Project (IRIS, the group of the Co-Ordinator and Prof. Ciardelli’s group)
Prof. Chiara Vitale Brovarone
Prof. Chiara Vitale-Brovarone, the Coordinator of the MOZART project, is an Associate Professor of Biomaterials and Materials Science and Technology at Politecnico di Torino. She works at the Applied Science and Technology Department (Institute of Materials Science and Engineering for Innovative Technologies) and she leads the IRIS group (Improving Regeneration by Intelligent Scaffolds). She has a 20-years experience on glasses and ceramics as bulk, coatings and 3D scaffolds for biomedical applications with a specific focus on biomaterials and therapeutic mesoporous glasses for bone and nerve regeneration. She leads a group of two associate professors, 2 lecturers, 5 PhD students.
She has more than 110 international papers published on high IF journal leading to a H index = 25. She has coordinated the EU funded Project MATCh, awarded by the EU as “Success Case History” and the EU funded project BIORESS. She is the Principal Investigator and WP leader in the frame of the EU Project Restoration (GA 280575). She is actually involved in a COST Action (NEWGEN). She is the PI of the ERC-CoG-2015 project BOOST “Biomimetic trick to re-balance osteoblast-osteoclast loop in osteoporosis treatment: a topological and materials driven approach” (GA 681798).
Prof. Sonia Fiorilli
Prof. Sonia Fiorilli is Associate Professor of Chemistry at Politecnico di Torino at the Applied Science and Technology Department and she is part of the IRIS group. She has a consolidated expertise concerning the synthesis, characterization and functionalization of inorganic porous structures as host matrices for functional molecules (drugs, enzymes and dyes) in view of their application in biomedical field and for selective adsorption/separation. Her activity also concerns surface chemistry studies of nanoporous solids, both inorganic and hybrid organic-inorganic, by means of spectroscopic techniques (IR, UV-visible, XPS) and adsorption of probe molecules. She is co-author of about 55 peer reviewed international papers, H index = 17.
Prof. Gianluca Ciardelli
Prof. Gianluca Ciardelli is Full Professor at Politecnico di Torino. He leads the Biomedical Laboratory group at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The group is highly multidisciplinary, with competences ranging from chemistry to materials science and biomedical Engineering, and combines expertise in polymer synthesis and bionanotechnologies. The group has documented experience in the design of highly functionalized, tailor-made polyurethanes and hydrogels with improved cell and tissue compatibility for application in tissue engineering and nanomedicine. He is author of more than 150 peer reviewed international papers, leading to a H-index = 29.
FRIEDRICH-ALEXANDER-UNIVERSITY ERLANGEN-NÜRNBERG
Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg embodies and delivers world class education and research in the broad disciplines in Social and Natural Sciences, Economics, Engineering and Medicine, establishing a leading place among German universities in the German Research Foundation (DFG). It is part of a large international network and maintains close ties with 500 partner universities in 62 countries. Researchers from the University work closely with leading universities around the world in more than 130 research collaborations. The University of Erlangen- Nuremberg has a long history of hosting visiting academics, and in particular visiting research fellows from around the world. The Department of Materials Science and Engineering holds currently collaborative projects with several prestigious institutions in USA, Canada, Europe, as well as several links to Asia, notably India, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan and Latin America, e.g. Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru.
The University, acknowledging the importance of biomedical materials research, made a strategic decision by establishing the Institute of Biomaterials, which started teaching and research activities on 1st October 2009 with the appointment of Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini as Chair of Biomaterials. The Institute of Biomaterials is one of the nine Institutes forming the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of the University and provides international leadership in the biomaterials field, including the development of bioactive materials for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and drug delivery, new compositions of dental materials and a range of novel coatings and mesoporous bioactive glass particles for biomedical applications. Research is carried out in a very interdisciplinary environment and in close collaboration with several academic institutes and researchers worldwide, including Imperial College London, UK, McGill University, Canada, Polytechnic of Torino, Italy, Institute of Materials Science, Madrid, Spain, University of Westminster, UK, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey, Vienna Univ. of Technology, Austria, among others.
Prof. Dr. Aldo R. Boccaccini
Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini is the Head of the Institute of Biomaterials at University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. He is also visiting Professor at Imperial College London, UK. The research activities of Prof. Boccaccini are in the field of glasses, ceramics and composites for biomedical, functional and/or structural applications. Boccaccini is a highly recognized researcher at international level in the biomaterials field; he leads a team of 30+ researchers, including 21 PhD students, and numerous Master students, several post-doctoral researchers, visiting students and academic visitors. Boccaccini is the author or co-author of more than 700 scientific papers and 20 book chapters. His work has been cited more than 20,000 times (Google Scholar®) and he was named in the 2014 Thomson Reuters “Highly Cited Researcher” list. He has an h-index= 62 (Web of Science®) (h-index= 74, Google Scholar®). His achievements have been recognized with several awards including, most recently, the Materials Prize of the German Materials Society (DGM) in 2015. Boccaccini is the editor-in-chief of the journal Materials Letters and serves in the editorial board of more than 10 international journals. In 2014 he founded the journal Biomedical Glasses and he serves as the first Editor-in-Chief of the journal. In 2015 he was elected member of the Council of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB).
UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID
Universidad Complutense de Madrid is one of the largest Universities in Spain and all around Europe. With a tradition beyond 5 centuries, UCM has become a very important institution in terms of higher education and research activities. UCM is home of research groups which are in the cutting edge of research in many areas. UCM technological scientific infrastructure (with an annual budget almost reaching 600M€), together with the quality of its researchers (more than 6000), has established some of its laboratories among the best all around Europe. From the 2012 research annual report (the last consolidated figures), there has been a total income of almost 40M€ for research activities: 6% of this income has been obtained through EU funded projects and 21% through R&D service contracts with the private sector. The research at UCM is developed through its 21 faculties, 5 university schools, 9 associated centres, 40 university research institutes, 8 schools for professional specialization, 4 university hospitals, and 17 research assistance centres.UCM is able to offer 170 official degrees and counts on more than 85.000 students distributed among the faculties, university schools and associated centres. UCM is located in the “Campus de Moncloa”, awarded as Campus of International Excellence, at Ciudad Universitaria of Madrid which houses two universities and several research centres
The UCM is committed to specialization in Global Change and New Energies, Materials for the Future, Agri-Food Industry and Health, Innovative Medicine and Heritage. The distinctive strengths of each cluster will converge to create unique configurations marked by their innovative and interdisciplinary character, highly competitive at the European level, and producing significant progress in knowledge transfer.
Regarding the aspects related to the management of international Fellowships and Grants, the UCM, through the European Office for R&D (http://www.ucm.es/info/oficinaeuropea), provides advice and support throughout the preparation process of the Contracts and Agreements and the following management of the projects.
Prof. María Vallet-Regí
Prof. María Vallet-Regí is Full Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Head of the Research Group Smart Biomaterials in the Department of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry of the Faculty of Pharmacy at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She has published more than 600 papers (h = 64, 18319 cites). She works mainly in the field of bioceramic based bone grafting materials and scaffolds for regenerative biomedicine, nanoparticles and biocompatible matrices for biotechnological applications and in silica based ordered mesoporous materials as release systems of biologically active species, cell encapsulation in silica porous materials, mesoporous materials for gene therapy and transfection, organic-inorganic hybrid materials. The research group of prof. Vallet-Regi (www.valletregigroup.esy.es) was started back in the 90s and since then, she has leaded numerous National and International Research Projects and has collaborated with numerous International Scientific groups. She leaded the Excellent Networking of Madrid Community (Spain) and the Spanish and European Networking for prevention and treatment of osteoporotic fractures (Agening network).
Dr. Miguel Manzano was born in Madrid, Spain, in 1976. He completed his studies of Organic Chemistry at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain, in 2000 and received his PhD at the School of Biomedical and Biological Sciences from the University of Surrey, United Kingdom, in 2004. Then, he moved back to Spain where he obtained a position as assistant lecturer at the Department of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry of the Faculty of Pharmacy at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. In 2011 Dr. Manzano went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, to complete a postdoctoral research fellowship for almost a year in the lab of Robert Langer at the Koch Institute, MIT. His research interests are focused on novel materials for biomedical applications, with special interest on bone tissue engineering and drug delivery systems
NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH “DEMOKRITOS”
The National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos” (NCSR “Demokritos”, www.demokritos.gr) is the largest interdisciplinary Research Center in Greece, with approximately 800 employees in a single campus covering an area of 600.000 m2. NCSR “Demokritos” congregates critical mass in expertise and infrastructure in the fields of Nanotechnology, Energy & Environment, Biosciences, Particle and Nuclear Science, Informatics and Telecommunications and conducts basic and applied research, for advancing scientific knowledge and promoting technological development in the areas of: Health, Biology and Biotechnology, New Materials Micro & Nanotechnology, Environment - Energy and Sustainable Development, Information Technology & Telecommunications, Nuclear Physics & Elementary Particle Physics, Nuclear Technology & Radiation Protection, Cultural Heritage.
The Porous Media Group of NCSR “Demokritos” participating in MOZART has been formed from the collaboration of researchers from the Institute of Nanoscience & Nanotechnology and the Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences & Technology, Energy & Safety. The team, comprising of 15 specialised scientists, holds a well-established position in the field of synthesis and characterisation of nanostructured materials for environmental, energy and health applications with emphasis on inorganic and hybrid porous media. The group has extensive activity on synthesis, modification/functionalisation of a wide range of nanoporous materials using different methodologies, targeting to diverse applications. In addition, it has extended activities in numerical simulations for modelling of materials and processes (mainly sorption and diffusion) by molecular or mesoscopic techniques.
Dr. Georgia Charalambopoulou
Dr. Georgia Charalambopoulou, Research Director. She received her BSc and PhD degrees in Chemical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens-Greece. Her research interests include the development and characterization of porous and composite nanostructures for energy, environment, health applications. She has in addition studied controlled release processes with emphasis on transdermal matrices for cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications, as well the investigation of the structural and barrier properties of stratum corneum. She has participated in more than 20 national, European and international externally funded research projects (assistant coordinator in 5 of them, principal investigator in 8). She has co-authored ca. 50 publications in international journals, 4 book chapters in international editions and more than 100 conference papers.
Dr. Theodore Steriotis
Dr. Theodore Steriotis, Research Director. He received his BSc and PhD degrees in Chemistry from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens-Greece. His main research interests include porous materials, membranes (inorganic, polymeric) and nanocomposites for environmental and energy applications, gas separations and storage, controlled delivery of substances. In addition he has extensive experience in synthesis and surface modification/functionalization of a wide range of nanostructured materials spanning from zeolites and clays to carbon- and silica- based structures. He has participated in more than 30 externally funded research projects. He has co-authored ca. 110 publications in international journals, 10 book chapters in international editions and more than 200 conference papers.
CHARITÉ UNIVERSITÄTSMEDIZIN BERLIN
The Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin - is the largest university hospital in Europe. It extends over four Hospital campuses with more than 100 clinics and institutes, which are bundled under 17 Charité Centres. With a staff of more than 12.800 full-time positions, the hospital handles 127.400 inpatient and 500.000 outpatient cases a year. The Charité has produced 10 Nobel Prize winners and is one of the leading life science institutions in Europe, closely intertwining research, clinical development and application. In order to strengthen translational research in regenerative medicine, the Charité, the Helmholtz Center Geesthacht and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine have joined forces and founded the Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT) to bridge the gap between research and clinical application in regenerative medicine. The mission of the BCRT is to unravel endogenous cascades of healing and transform knowledge thereof into regenerative therapies in challenging clinical situations to benefit patients. How patient care can benefit from increasing our understanding in biological process during healing is also the driving force behind the research performed at the Julius Wolff Institute for Biomechanics and Musculoskeletal Regeneration, one of the Charité’s research institute centers. Over 80 researchers with an engineering, biology or surgical background work in the Institute in tight collaboration with the Center for Musculoskeletal Surgery (covering orthopedic and trauma surgery) to improve patient care and stimulate innovations for implants in the area of joint replacement and spine as well as to develop new therapies and products for accelerating healing processes in bone fractures or soft tissue injuries.
Prof. Dr. Ing. Georg N. Duda
Prof. Dr. Ing. Georg N. Duda is the director of the Julius Wolff Institute and W3-Professor for Biomechanics and Musculoskeletal Regeneration at the Charité. He is one of the three founding directors of the Berlin-Brandenburg Centre for Regenerative Therapies and founding member of the Center for Movement Science and Sports Medicine. Georg Duda is fascinated by the interplay between biology and mechanics that essentially defines tissue formation in organogenesis and healing. Starting from an understanding of how loading acts on joints and muscles and the mechanical stresses that result, Georg and his team are working on surgical strategies to improve regeneration of degenerated joints or injured limbs. He aims to unravel the basis mechanisms of early inflammation as a key to allow an early stratification of patients with healing disorders and subsequent personalized therapies by means of pluripotent cells and customized scaffolds strategies. Next to others, he is member of the German Permanent Senate Commission on Key Questions in Clinical Research and besides other journals he is a member of the advisory board of Science Translational Medicine.
Dr. Nat. Katharina Schmidt-Bleek
Dr. Nat. Katharina Schmidt-Bleek gained her PhD in molecular biology. In addition she has completed studies in veterinary medicine and holds a specialization in experimental animal work. Due to the tight connection of the Julius Wolff Institute with the orthopedics department and the trauma surgery of the Charité, animal models in research mirror the clinical situation of patients as close as possible. Dr. K. Schmidt-Bleek has worked in various bone healing models in mice, rats, and sheep as a project leader. She has experience with the application process with the authorities, the surgeries, and sample retrieval and she is familiar with the relevant analyses methods to document the bone regenerative processes including biomechanical testing, µCT, expression analyses, histology and immune histology. During her work at the Julius Wolff Institut in the last 8 years she gained a profound knowledge in bone regeneration with a special interest in the interaction of bone and the immune system. Dr. K. Schmidt-Bleek now heads the osteoimmunology research group at the JWI. In the last 4 years she has co-authored 20 peer reviewed papers and presented her work at several conferences including the ORS, ECTS, and ISFR.
Dr. Evi Lippens
Dr. Evi Lippens leads within the Cell-Matrix platform the Control Tissue Formation unit. She has an interdisciplinary tissue engineering background with a PhD in Biomedical sciences from Ghent University, Belgium (2005-2009) and a Post-doctoral training in material sciences and drug release at the Mooney Lab: Laboratory for Cell and Tissue Engineering at Harvard University, USA (2011-2013). She joined the JWI in 2013 and uses a biomaterial drug releasing approach to create distinct tissue patterns in osteochondral tissue defects in a sheep model. She is currently an associated researcher at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard and the chair of the Junior Committee of the European Tissue Repair Society. She co-authored 13 peer-reviewed science papers and 3 conference proceeding papers. The primary focus of her research is on cell-biomaterial interactions.
UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
The University of Sheffield (USFD) is among the top ten universities within the UK and has an international reputation for excellence in research and teaching. Its excellence is reflected in national assessments of university academic performance and the University. The University has close links with industry, commerce and the professions, and it achieves consistent success in attracting research grants and funding from regional, national and international organizations, including the EU. As part of its overall strategy, the University is committed to maintaining its strong involvement in European programs and enhancing the European dimension of its work. In the Sixth Framework Program, The University was involved in over 140 research projects spanning all thematic areas and horizontal activities. Support received through the Sixth Framework Program has exceeded €53 million. The University of Sheffield has 148 live projects in Framework 7 (including 19 IIFs/IEFs) with a further 40 currently in negotiation. These projects span all funding instruments and include many projects where the University of Sheffield is the coordinator. Overall research income averages approximately £96million year-on-year. The University of Sheffield has a commitment to the development of the careers of researchers, particularly as they establish their own independence. The Early Careers Group aims to ensure that post-doctoral researchers in the Faculty of Engineering have access to advice, training and mentoring/coaching to aid with career development.
Prof. Sheila MacNeil
Prof. Sheila MacNeil is a Professor of Tissue Engineering in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. She has extensive experience of translating cell therapies from laboratory research to clinical use, including Myskin™ for diabetic ulcers and burns, and tissue engineered oral mucosa for reconstruction of urethral stricture. She has published over 350 peer-reviewed articles with over 6500 citations and has an h-index of 42. Since her Chair appointment in 2000 she has generated £15M from Wellcome Trust, BBSRC, EPSRC, MRC, NHS and Industry. Current projects include developing cell delivery membranes for corneal defects (Wellcome Trust Affordable Healthcare for India) and tissue engineering approaches for pelvic floor repair. Her role is to provide expertise in tissue engineering and her extensive experience in clinical translation. She received the UK Society of Biomaterials President’s medal for her contributions to Biomaterials in the both UK and overseas in September 2014.
Dr. Anthony Bullock
Dr. Anthony Bullock is an experienced research scientist with a wealth of experience in producing tissue engineered human tissue for in vitro experimentation and translation of tissue engineering to the clinic. He has created TE epithelia for wound healing research into inflammation and wound healing. He is currently involved in the trialling of the delivery of vasculogenic factors to in vitro skin models.
Prof. Ian Douglas
Ian Douglas is Professor of Microbiology in the School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield (2005-present) where he ran a diagnostic oral microbiology service for the Dental hospital and health region for 15 years (1984-1999). He has over 100 peer reviewed publications and 7 teaching texts/ book chapters. His major areas of research interest are features of bacterial surfaces and their interaction with their environment and the diagnosis of bacterial infection. He has worked on development of a caries vaccine, streptococcal protein adhesins, bacterial invasion of human cells and antimicrobial materials. He has a long history of working in multidisciplinary teams and recently, in collaboration with Sheila MacNeil he devised the first published tissue-engineered, human infected wounded skin model
NANOLITH SVERIGE AB
Nanolith Sverige AB is an SME spin-out from the Nanostructured Materials Division at Linköping University. The company was founded in 2009 in order to bring the research group’s results in the field of mesoporous materials to a public market. The company focuses on tailoring mesoporous materials for customers in the field of drug delivery and catalysis. Nanolith is also working on upscaling the synthesis process of mesoporous materials.
Dr. Emma Björk
Dr. Emma Björk is working as a researcher at Nanolith Sverige AB. She graduated in Materials science, especially nanostructured materials, from Linköping University in 2013. Her expertise is in developing mesoporous silica particles, and controlling the material’ morphology and pore size. Björk has also developed a new type of particle based mesoporous films with a unique access to the pore system. Björk is moreover working as a post-doc at Linköping University with developing new mesoporous materials for drug delivery and catalytic applications.
NOBILBIO
Nobil Bio Ricerche srl (NBR) is a European SME located in Portacomaro, founded in 1994 in the Italian region of Piemonte. NBR is involved with bone-contacting medical devices. NBR core business is surface treatment and packaging of titanium dental implants. Customers are small to medium-size companies producers of dental implants and operating in the dental devices market. NBR surface-treated last year about 400.000 dental implants, serving more than 30 different producers from Italy and other West European countries. Beside acting as a provider to dental implant producers, the company developed and market a bone filler for oral surgery and is involved
Dr. Marco Morra
Dr. Marco Morra, the Managing Director of Nobil Bio Ricerche, works on the development of novel materials and surface treatments for different medical and dental applications with particular attention to the implant surface design to promote natural healing around the implanted device and a specific cell response also with the application of biotechnologies.
Dr. Clara Cassinelli
Dr. Clara Cassinelli gained her MSc degree in Biology in Torino in 1985: she worked at the Department of Plant Biology of University of Turin and at the Biotechnology Center of the Istituto Donegani of Novara: she has been working at Nobil Bio Ricerche since 1994 and her main experimental activity is the in vitro biological characterization of biomaterials. She is co-author of patents and papers on international journal. She also worked as lecturer at the University of Ferrara.
VORNIA
Vornia is a biomaterials start-up company with accredited expertise in ISO13485 Design and Development and is soon to have accreditation for manufacture and supply of medical devices and raw materials for medical use. Vornia’s experience in bringing academic projects from the lab to market will be invaluable to the project. Vornia is currently accredited for both Design and Development and Manufacturing and Supply of raw materials for medical devices. As such, Vornia is in an excellent position to design novel biodegradable polymers and bring these to the market. The key products for Vornia currently are collagen solutions and biodegradable polymers such as poly (L-lactic) acid. Vornia also offers contract Design services and specialises in custom biomaterials on an individual order basis. A few examples for the most recent innovations in Vornia’s product portfolio are a quick-setting collagen gel and a hyperbranched multifunctional PEG based hydrogel for cell culture/delivery applications.
Wenxin Wang (Interim CEO, CSO)
Dr Wenxin Wang is a Senior Lecturer in Skin Research and Wound Healing and a Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Principle Investigator at the Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin. Dr. Wang has worked both in industry and academia and has extensive expertise on controlled/ living polymerization techniques (e.g. ATRP, RAFT, ROP, anionic polymerization) as well as on click chemistry with the aim to develop multifunctional polymeric biomaterials for targeted therapeutic drugs (proteins, peptides) and DNA/RNA delivery, bio-inspired responsive polymers as dressing/adhesive for wound healing, 3D bio-printing and injectable ECM hybrid hydrogels for stem cell encapsulation. His scientific contribution and achievements have been well recognized nationally and internationally. This is reflected on his productive track record as a publishing author that includes 127 peer-reviewed scientific journal papers such as Nature Communication, JACS, Angewandte Chemie, Advanced Materials, 3 book chapters, 93 conference associated publications, 8 patents and 4 filed patent applications. Main clinical targets of Dr. Wang’s research are: Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa wounds, diabetic ulcers, cardiovascular disease, Parkinsons and multiple sclerosis. Dr Wenxin Wang has successfully launched a few new products on the market from his developed technologies.
Udo Greiser (Managing Director)
Udo received his BS degree from the Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany) and his Ph.D. degree from the Max-Planck-Group/ Friedrich Schiller University, Jena (Germany). He acquired further training and expertise in the areas of non-viral gene delivery, wound healing and stem cells (Cancer Centre, University of California, San Francisco and California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco from 1997-2003; Regenerative Medicine Institute, REMEDI and Network of Excellence in Functional Biomaterials, NFB from 2004-2013; Charles Institute of Dermatology, University College Dublin from 2014-2015). He joined Vornia Biomaterials Ltd. In January 2015.
Koodal Marimuthu (Quality Manager)
Koodal is responsible for the Quality Management System (ISO 13485:2012) in Vornia Biomaterials Ltd, from Pratt and Whitney, Koodal has over 14 years of experience in developing & Implementing QMS in the highly regulated Automotive and Aerospace industries .He is a UTC approved Lean ACE Associate (Equivalent to Six Sigma Green belt) with experience of a wide range of quality standards and Lead Auditor in ISO 9001:2015, AS 9100C, ISO 14001:2015 & OHSAS 18001:2007.
Sofia Kivotidi (R&D Engineer)
Sofia is a Chemical Engineer and her multidisciplinary research background focuses on Polymers Science, Supercritical Fluid Technologies and Nanoparticles Synthesis. She obtained her Diploma in Chemical Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and she has worked as a Research Engineer in Center for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH). She joined Vornia Ltd in January 2016, where her work concerns biopolymers development and she also started her PhD in UCD Medicine, focusing on the synthesis of biomaterials for skin wound healing.
CELLOGIC
Cellogic GmbH is a consulting firm focusing on early regulatory and health-economic aspects of innovations in regenerative medicine. It was founded as a spin-off enterprise from BCRT (Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies) in 2010 and established in the course of a BMBF-funded research project (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research). Health economic analysis in early phase clinical trials is a major focus of the company besides prospective cost-benefit analyses and preparation of reimbursement decisions.
Dr. Malte Pietzsch
Dr. oec. Malte Pietzsch, Senior Health Economist, is a co-founder and the managing director of Cellogic GmbH. He received a university diploma in industrial engineering from University of Karlsruhe (TH), Germany, a Master of Science in Engineering-Economic Systems from Stanford University, California, USA, and a doctorate in management from University of St. Gallen (HSG), Switzerland. He has successfully completed various projects in comparable settings and currently also participates in two other EU research projects.
Simon Weber
Simon Weber, Health Economist, is an employee of Cellogic GmbH and received a university diploma in economics in 2010 with a focus on health economic studies. He has successfully completed various projects in comparable settings and is an experienced researcher and consultant in the field of early health-economic evaluations. He is also involved in two other major EU research projects.
DELSITECH LTD
DelSiTech Ltd is a privately owned DD technology and drug development SME located in Turku, Finland. The company was founded in 2001 based on extensive academic biomaterial research. DST is the global technology leader in the use of biodegradable silica matrix in DD. DST provides DD technology services for other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and develops its own in-house drug products which are based on the proprietary silica matrix. The company has 12 employees of which 10 are actively involved in R&D.
Dr. Mika Jokinen
Dr. Mika Jokinen works as a Research Director of DST (since 2006), and holds also positions of Principal Lecturer (lecturing biotechnology, biochemical engineering, biomaterials and tissue engineering) and Head of the Biomaterials Research Group at Turku University of Applied Sciences since 2008. He also holds the position of Adjunct Professor in Medical Biomaterials at Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland (since 2003). Dr. Jokinen has more than 25 years’ experience in research of silica based bioceramics and their applications in life sciences.
Dr. Lasse Leino
Dr. Lasse Leino is the CEO of DST (since 2013), and holds also the position of Adjunct Professor in Immunology at University of Turku, Turku, Finland (since 1995). Dr. Leino has worked in pharma industry for 18 years and the last 10 years as an entrepreneur and CEO of several start-up companies in drug development. Dr. Leino is the author of more than 50 peer-reviewed scientific papers in the field of immunology, cell biology, and drug development.
POLITECNICO DI TORINO
POLITECNICO DI TORINO was founded more than 150 years ago and represents a leading public university, in Italy and Europe, in technical-scientific teaching and research with over 33,000 students from 120 countries. Politecnico di Torino is part of some of the major European interuniversity networks, such as CESAER, CLUSTER, E.C.I.U, EUA, and CMU. These contacts will permit to spread and disseminate information and project results to a wider number of institutions. In the 7th Framework Program (2007-2013) it is/was involved in 233 projects corresponding to more than 66.6 M€. In the first two years of the Horizon 2020 European funding program 58 projects were financed with 25 M€. The participation in many international projects allows Politecnico di Torino to count on a great experience both in scientific projects and administrative management. In November 2013 Politecnico di Torino has been acknowledged by the European Commission for its commitment towards the implementation of the Charter and Code through the 'HR Excellence in Research' award.
POLITO is the Coordinator of MOZART and as such in charge of the scientific management and representation of the project. Two different groups of the Politecnico di Torino are involved in the Project (IRIS, the group of the Co-Ordinator and Prof. Ciardelli’s group)
Prof. Chiara Vitale Brovarone
Prof. Chiara Vitale-Brovarone, the Coordinator of the MOZART project, is an Associate Professor of Biomaterials and Materials Science and Technology at Politecnico di Torino. She works at the Applied Science and Technology Department (Institute of Materials Science and Engineering for Innovative Technologies) and she leads the IRIS group (Improving Regeneration by Intelligent Scaffolds). She has a 20-years experience on glasses and ceramics as bulk, coatings and 3D scaffolds for biomedical applications with a specific focus on biomaterials and therapeutic mesoporous glasses for bone and nerve regeneration. She leads a group of two associate professors, 2 lecturers, 5 PhD students.
She has more than 110 international papers published on high IF journal leading to a H index = 25. She has coordinated the EU funded Project MATCh, awarded by the EU as “Success Case History” and the EU funded project BIORESS. She is the Principal Investigator and WP leader in the frame of the EU Project Restoration (GA 280575). She is actually involved in a COST Action (NEWGEN). She is the PI of the ERC-CoG-2015 project BOOST “Biomimetic trick to re-balance osteoblast-osteoclast loop in osteoporosis treatment: a topological and materials driven approach” (GA 681798).
Prof. Sonia Fiorilli
Prof. Gianluca Ciardelli
Prof. Gianluca Ciardelli is Full Professor at Politecnico di Torino. He leads the Biomedical Laboratory group at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The group is highly multidisciplinary, with competences ranging from chemistry to materials science and biomedical Engineering, and combines expertise in polymer synthesis and bionanotechnologies. The group has documented experience in the design of highly functionalized, tailor-made polyurethanes and hydrogels with improved cell and tissue compatibility for application in tissue engineering and nanomedicine. He is author of more than 150 peer reviewed international papers, leading to a H-index = 29.
FRIEDRICH-ALEXANDER-UNIVERSITY ERLANGEN-NÜRNBERG
Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg embodies and delivers world class education and research in the broad disciplines in Social and Natural Sciences, Economics, Engineering and Medicine, establishing a leading place among German universities in the German Research Foundation (DFG). It is part of a large international network and maintains close ties with 500 partner universities in 62 countries. Researchers from the University work closely with leading universities around the world in more than 130 research collaborations. The University of Erlangen- Nuremberg has a long history of hosting visiting academics, and in particular visiting research fellows from around the world. The Department of Materials Science and Engineering holds currently collaborative projects with several prestigious institutions in USA, Canada, Europe, as well as several links to Asia, notably India, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan and Latin America, e.g. Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru.
The University, acknowledging the importance of biomedical materials research, made a strategic decision by establishing the Institute of Biomaterials, which started teaching and research activities on 1st October 2009 with the appointment of Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini as Chair of Biomaterials. The Institute of Biomaterials is one of the nine Institutes forming the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of the University and provides international leadership in the biomaterials field, including the development of bioactive materials for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and drug delivery, new compositions of dental materials and a range of novel coatings and mesoporous bioactive glass particles for biomedical applications. Research is carried out in a very interdisciplinary environment and in close collaboration with several academic institutes and researchers worldwide, including Imperial College London, UK, McGill University, Canada, Polytechnic of Torino, Italy, Institute of Materials Science, Madrid, Spain, University of Westminster, UK, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey, Vienna Univ. of Technology, Austria, among others.
Prof. Dr. Aldo R. Boccaccini
UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID
Universidad Complutense de Madrid is one of the largest Universities in Spain and all around Europe. With a tradition beyond 5 centuries, UCM has become a very important institution in terms of higher education and research activities. UCM is home of research groups which are in the cutting edge of research in many areas. UCM technological scientific infrastructure (with an annual budget almost reaching 600M€), together with the quality of its researchers (more than 6000), has established some of its laboratories among the best all around Europe. From the 2012 research annual report (the last consolidated figures), there has been a total income of almost 40M€ for research activities: 6% of this income has been obtained through EU funded projects and 21% through R&D service contracts with the private sector. The research at UCM is developed through its 21 faculties, 5 university schools, 9 associated centres, 40 university research institutes, 8 schools for professional specialization, 4 university hospitals, and 17 research assistance centres.UCM is able to offer 170 official degrees and counts on more than 85.000 students distributed among the faculties, university schools and associated centres. UCM is located in the “Campus de Moncloa”, awarded as Campus of International Excellence, at Ciudad Universitaria of Madrid which houses two universities and several research centres
The UCM is committed to specialization in Global Change and New Energies, Materials for the Future, Agri-Food Industry and Health, Innovative Medicine and Heritage. The distinctive strengths of each cluster will converge to create unique configurations marked by their innovative and interdisciplinary character, highly competitive at the European level, and producing significant progress in knowledge transfer.
Regarding the aspects related to the management of international Fellowships and Grants, the UCM, through the European Office for R&D (http://www.ucm.es/info/oficinaeuropea), provides advice and support throughout the preparation process of the Contracts and Agreements and the following management of the projects.
Prof. María Vallet-Regí
Prof. María Vallet-Regí is Full Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Head of the Research Group Smart Biomaterials in the Department of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry of the Faculty of Pharmacy at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She has published more than 600 papers (h = 64, 18319 cites). She works mainly in the field of bioceramic based bone grafting materials and scaffolds for regenerative biomedicine, nanoparticles and biocompatible matrices for biotechnological applications and in silica based ordered mesoporous materials as release systems of biologically active species, cell encapsulation in silica porous materials, mesoporous materials for gene therapy and transfection, organic-inorganic hybrid materials. The research group of prof. Vallet-Regi (www.valletregigroup.esy.es) was started back in the 90s and since then, she has leaded numerous National and International Research Projects and has collaborated with numerous International Scientific groups. She leaded the Excellent Networking of Madrid Community (Spain) and the Spanish and European Networking for prevention and treatment of osteoporotic fractures (Agening network).
Dr. Miguel Manzano was born in Madrid, Spain, in 1976. He completed his studies of Organic Chemistry at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain, in 2000 and received his PhD at the School of Biomedical and Biological Sciences from the University of Surrey, United Kingdom, in 2004. Then, he moved back to Spain where he obtained a position as assistant lecturer at the Department of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry of the Faculty of Pharmacy at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. In 2011 Dr. Manzano went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, to complete a postdoctoral research fellowship for almost a year in the lab of Robert Langer at the Koch Institute, MIT. His research interests are focused on novel materials for biomedical applications, with special interest on bone tissue engineering and drug delivery systems
NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH “DEMOKRITOS”
The National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos” (NCSR “Demokritos”, www.demokritos.gr) is the largest interdisciplinary Research Center in Greece, with approximately 800 employees in a single campus covering an area of 600.000 m2. NCSR “Demokritos” congregates critical mass in expertise and infrastructure in the fields of Nanotechnology, Energy & Environment, Biosciences, Particle and Nuclear Science, Informatics and Telecommunications and conducts basic and applied research, for advancing scientific knowledge and promoting technological development in the areas of: Health, Biology and Biotechnology, New Materials Micro & Nanotechnology, Environment - Energy and Sustainable Development, Information Technology & Telecommunications, Nuclear Physics & Elementary Particle Physics, Nuclear Technology & Radiation Protection, Cultural Heritage.
The Porous Media Group of NCSR “Demokritos” participating in MOZART has been formed from the collaboration of researchers from the Institute of Nanoscience & Nanotechnology and the Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences & Technology, Energy & Safety. The team, comprising of 15 specialised scientists, holds a well-established position in the field of synthesis and characterisation of nanostructured materials for environmental, energy and health applications with emphasis on inorganic and hybrid porous media. The group has extensive activity on synthesis, modification/functionalisation of a wide range of nanoporous materials using different methodologies, targeting to diverse applications. In addition, it has extended activities in numerical simulations for modelling of materials and processes (mainly sorption and diffusion) by molecular or mesoscopic techniques.
Dr. Georgia Charalambopoulou
Dr. Theodore Steriotis
CHARITÉ UNIVERSITÄTSMEDIZIN BERLIN
The Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin - is the largest university hospital in Europe. It extends over four Hospital campuses with more than 100 clinics and institutes, which are bundled under 17 Charité Centres. With a staff of more than 12.800 full-time positions, the hospital handles 127.400 inpatient and 500.000 outpatient cases a year. The Charité has produced 10 Nobel Prize winners and is one of the leading life science institutions in Europe, closely intertwining research, clinical development and application. In order to strengthen translational research in regenerative medicine, the Charité, the Helmholtz Center Geesthacht and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine have joined forces and founded the Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT) to bridge the gap between research and clinical application in regenerative medicine. The mission of the BCRT is to unravel endogenous cascades of healing and transform knowledge thereof into regenerative therapies in challenging clinical situations to benefit patients. How patient care can benefit from increasing our understanding in biological process during healing is also the driving force behind the research performed at the Julius Wolff Institute for Biomechanics and Musculoskeletal Regeneration, one of the Charité’s research institute centers. Over 80 researchers with an engineering, biology or surgical background work in the Institute in tight collaboration with the Center for Musculoskeletal Surgery (covering orthopedic and trauma surgery) to improve patient care and stimulate innovations for implants in the area of joint replacement and spine as well as to develop new therapies and products for accelerating healing processes in bone fractures or soft tissue injuries.
Prof. Dr. Ing. Georg N. Duda
Dr. Nat. Katharina Schmidt-Bleek
Dr. Evi Lippens
UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
The University of Sheffield (USFD) is among the top ten universities within the UK and has an international reputation for excellence in research and teaching. Its excellence is reflected in national assessments of university academic performance and the University. The University has close links with industry, commerce and the professions, and it achieves consistent success in attracting research grants and funding from regional, national and international organizations, including the EU. As part of its overall strategy, the University is committed to maintaining its strong involvement in European programs and enhancing the European dimension of its work. In the Sixth Framework Program, The University was involved in over 140 research projects spanning all thematic areas and horizontal activities. Support received through the Sixth Framework Program has exceeded €53 million. The University of Sheffield has 148 live projects in Framework 7 (including 19 IIFs/IEFs) with a further 40 currently in negotiation. These projects span all funding instruments and include many projects where the University of Sheffield is the coordinator. Overall research income averages approximately £96million year-on-year. The University of Sheffield has a commitment to the development of the careers of researchers, particularly as they establish their own independence. The Early Careers Group aims to ensure that post-doctoral researchers in the Faculty of Engineering have access to advice, training and mentoring/coaching to aid with career development.
Prof. Sheila MacNeil
Dr. Anthony Bullock
Prof. Ian Douglas
NANOLITH SVERIGE AB
Nanolith Sverige AB is an SME spin-out from the Nanostructured Materials Division at Linköping University. The company was founded in 2009 in order to bring the research group’s results in the field of mesoporous materials to a public market. The company focuses on tailoring mesoporous materials for customers in the field of drug delivery and catalysis. Nanolith is also working on upscaling the synthesis process of mesoporous materials.
Dr. Emma Björk
NOBILBIO
Nobil Bio Ricerche srl (NBR) is a European SME located in Portacomaro, founded in 1994 in the Italian region of Piemonte. NBR is involved with bone-contacting medical devices. NBR core business is surface treatment and packaging of titanium dental implants. Customers are small to medium-size companies producers of dental implants and operating in the dental devices market. NBR surface-treated last year about 400.000 dental implants, serving more than 30 different producers from Italy and other West European countries. Beside acting as a provider to dental implant producers, the company developed and market a bone filler for oral surgery and is involved
Dr. Marco Morra
Dr. Clara Cassinelli
VORNIA
Vornia is a biomaterials start-up company with accredited expertise in ISO13485 Design and Development and is soon to have accreditation for manufacture and supply of medical devices and raw materials for medical use. Vornia’s experience in bringing academic projects from the lab to market will be invaluable to the project. Vornia is currently accredited for both Design and Development and Manufacturing and Supply of raw materials for medical devices. As such, Vornia is in an excellent position to design novel biodegradable polymers and bring these to the market. The key products for Vornia currently are collagen solutions and biodegradable polymers such as poly (L-lactic) acid. Vornia also offers contract Design services and specialises in custom biomaterials on an individual order basis. A few examples for the most recent innovations in Vornia’s product portfolio are a quick-setting collagen gel and a hyperbranched multifunctional PEG based hydrogel for cell culture/delivery applications.
Wenxin Wang (Interim CEO, CSO)
Dr Wenxin Wang is a Senior Lecturer in Skin Research and Wound Healing and a Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Principle Investigator at the Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin. Dr. Wang has worked both in industry and academia and has extensive expertise on controlled/ living polymerization techniques (e.g. ATRP, RAFT, ROP, anionic polymerization) as well as on click chemistry with the aim to develop multifunctional polymeric biomaterials for targeted therapeutic drugs (proteins, peptides) and DNA/RNA delivery, bio-inspired responsive polymers as dressing/adhesive for wound healing, 3D bio-printing and injectable ECM hybrid hydrogels for stem cell encapsulation. His scientific contribution and achievements have been well recognized nationally and internationally. This is reflected on his productive track record as a publishing author that includes 127 peer-reviewed scientific journal papers such as Nature Communication, JACS, Angewandte Chemie, Advanced Materials, 3 book chapters, 93 conference associated publications, 8 patents and 4 filed patent applications. Main clinical targets of Dr. Wang’s research are: Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa wounds, diabetic ulcers, cardiovascular disease, Parkinsons and multiple sclerosis. Dr Wenxin Wang has successfully launched a few new products on the market from his developed technologies.
Udo Greiser (Managing Director)
Koodal Marimuthu (Quality Manager)
Koodal is responsible for the Quality Management System (ISO 13485:2012) in Vornia Biomaterials Ltd, from Pratt and Whitney, Koodal has over 14 years of experience in developing & Implementing QMS in the highly regulated Automotive and Aerospace industries .He is a UTC approved Lean ACE Associate (Equivalent to Six Sigma Green belt) with experience of a wide range of quality standards and Lead Auditor in ISO 9001:2015, AS 9100C, ISO 14001:2015 & OHSAS 18001:2007.
Sofia Kivotidi (R&D Engineer)
CELLOGIC
Cellogic GmbH is a consulting firm focusing on early regulatory and health-economic aspects of innovations in regenerative medicine. It was founded as a spin-off enterprise from BCRT (Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies) in 2010 and established in the course of a BMBF-funded research project (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research). Health economic analysis in early phase clinical trials is a major focus of the company besides prospective cost-benefit analyses and preparation of reimbursement decisions.
Dr. Malte Pietzsch
Simon Weber
DELSITECH LTD
DelSiTech Ltd is a privately owned DD technology and drug development SME located in Turku, Finland. The company was founded in 2001 based on extensive academic biomaterial research. DST is the global technology leader in the use of biodegradable silica matrix in DD. DST provides DD technology services for other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and develops its own in-house drug products which are based on the proprietary silica matrix. The company has 12 employees of which 10 are actively involved in R&D.
Dr. Mika Jokinen
Dr. Lasse Leino