Francesca Fraulini

Visiting PhD student (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia)

Development and characterization of Ce doped bioactive glasses

PhD SupervisorSupe: Prof. Gigliola Lusvardi, Associate Professor in General and Inorganic Chemistry

Supervisor in Erlangen: Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Bioactive glasses (BGs) have been traditionally used for hard tissue regeneration thanks to their bioactivity and biocompatibility. Current research focuses on improving BG performance by tailoring different morphologies, as well as by ion doping and loading with beneficial molecules to create in situ osteoinductive drug delivery systems [1]. With this perspective, this project aims to synthesise Ce-doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (Ce-MBGNs) and assess their suitability as in-situ drug delivery system compared to conventional Ce-doped BGs [2]. The drug loading and release abilities will be evaluated, as well as the bioactivity of the loaded systems.

[1] H. Zhu, K. Zheng, A.R. Boccaccini, Multi-functional silica-based mesoporous materials for simultaneous delivery of biologically active ions and therapeutic biomolecules, Acta Biomater. 129 (2021) 1–17.

[2] A. Zambon, G. Malavasi, A. Pallini, F. Fraulini, G. Lusvardi, Cerium Containing Bioactive Glasses: A Review, ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 7 (2021) 4388–4401.