Corbinian Plank

Bachelor student

Fabrication and characterization of alginate-based inks incorporating mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles as bioreactive fillers

 

Supervisors: Hannah Kissel, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

3D printable hydrogels are very popular for biomedical applications like tissue engineering or drug delivery as they mimic many characteristics of the natural extracellular matrix and enable cell encapsulation within a highly hydrated environment [1]. In order to enhance the stability and the bioactivity of printed hydrogels, ion-doped mesoporous bioactiveglass nanoparticles (MBGNs) are incorporated as bioactive filler, as pioneered by the FAU Institute of Biomaterials.  These MBGNs release ions which stimulate specific biological responses which are beneficial for tissue regeneration, for example bone [2, 3]. This Bachelor thesis aims to fabricate a printable hydrogel with integrated ion-doped MBGNs which is further characterized in terms of the ion release behavior and biological activity.

[1] Malda, J., et al., 25th Anniversary Article: Engineering Hydrogels for Biofabrication. Adv. Mater., 25 (2013) 5011-5028.

[2] Heid, S. and Boccaccini, A. R., Advancing bioinks for 3D bioprinting using reactive fillers: A review, Acta Biomaterialia, 113 (2020) 1-22.

[3] Leite, A., et al., Bioplotting of a bioactive alginate dialdehyde-gelatin composite hydrogel containing bioactive glass nanoparticles. Biofabrication 8 (2016) 1758-5090.