Marina Monika Marić

PhD student (in cotutelle with University of Zagreb, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology (FCET), Croatia)

3D-Printed Scaffold with Metal-Doped Bioactive Glass and Nanoparticle Borate Glass Composite Coating for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications

Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Aldo R. Boccaccini (FAU), Prof. Dr. Anamarija Rogina (FCET)

This research focuses on the development of novel 3D-printed scaffolds combining synthetic and natural polymers with borate bioactive glass for advanced biomedical applications. Borate bioactive glass is highly promising in bone tissue engineering due to its ability to enhance osteogenesis, stimulate vascularization, and support controlled degradation. Boron plays a vital role in bone regeneration by promoting cell proliferation and activating essential proteins. Incorporating borate glass nanoparticles further improves the scaffold’s performance, using their high surface-area-to-volume ratio to enable a more efficient and sustained release of therapeutic ions. By doping the nanoparticles with metal ions, this scaffold is optimized to enhance cellular activity and support tissue regeneration. [1,2]

[1] Ege D., Zheng K., Boccaccini A.R.; Borate Bioactive Glasses (BBG): Bone Regeneration, Wound Healing Applications, and Future Directions. ACS Applied Bio Materials 2022, 5, 3608-3622.

[2] Zheng K., Boccaccini A.R.; Sol-gel processing of bioactive glass nanoparticles: A review. Adv. Colloid Interface Sci 2017, 249, 363-373.