Anabela is doing her PhD in Biomedical Engineering with the theme “Biofabrication of an innovative silk-based 3D construct as a new strategy for engineering skin tissue”. Her work focuses on the production a novel functional skin substitute with potential for the industrial sector. To do so, silk-sericin/calcium-based particles with tailored particles are synthesized using a patented modular oscillatory flow plate reactor. The materials will be embedded with relevant cells and bioprinted along with a hydrogel to obtain a 3D construct. The resulting material will be further processed in the Tissue Engineering Resource Center at Tufts University, Boston, EUA, by seeding endothelial and neural cells in a bioreactor to develop and maturate vascular and neuronal tissues. These models are used to promote new tissue growth, being also capable of replicating in vitro the complex signaling environment present in nerve repair for facile screening of drug compounds.

Universidade Católica do Porto – Tufts University

Grant duration: 6 months

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