Smart Biomaterials Research Group

Smart Biomaterials Research Group (SBRG)<br />The SBRG was founded by Prof. María Vallet-Regí in the 1990s at the Faculty of Pharmacy of University Complutense of Madrid. Since then, our group have been devoted to the design, development and evaluation of biomaterials, mainly to those aimed for bone tissue regeneration and treatment of bone-related pathologies such as bone tumors, osteoporosis and bone infections. <br />Currently SBRG is an international reference in the field of biomaterials, with more than 800 articles, 20 books, 12 patens and more than 33 M ¤ attracted since its foundation, being worldwide known as one of the most important research teams in the field of bioactive glasses and mesoporous materials for drug delivery.<br />The interested fellow would be integrated in the Mesoporous bioactive glasses unit, which is currently directed by three senior members: Professor Daniel Arcos, Dr. Isabel Izquierdo-Barba and Dr. Blanca González Ortiz, together with a group of three veterinarian researchers responsible for in vivo preclinical studies and a hematologist responsible of the development of humanized matrixes (see project description below)<br />Finally, the wide network of European collaborators allow us develop biomaterials from their initial design until preclinical in vivo studies<br /><br />

In this project we propose the preparation and evaluation of bioceramics based on mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBG) to address one health problem that currently constitutes an unmet clinical need. This is the improvement of the treatment of leukemia through drug screening. <br />The challenge we want to address is the preparation of humanized matrices for drug screening in the treatment of leukemia. One of the main challenges in the field of hematological neoplasia, and more specifically in leukemia, is the difficulty in choosing an appropriate treatment since there are no in vivo or in vitro models that mimic the environment in which these diseases develop. By preparing macroporous scaffolds made of MBG, humanized matrices can be designed for the pharmacological screening of hematological neoplasia. The ability of mesoporous bioactive glasses to develop an apatite-like phase similar to the mineral component of bone, should serve as a substrate on which to mimic the hematopoietic niche (HN), incorporating endothelial, mesenchymal, osteoblastic and, finally, leukemic cells. The hypothesis we want to demonstrate is that these matrices will be effective tools to carry out drug screening in the treatment of leukemia.<br />Specifically, the proposal includes the design and preparation of scaffolds capable of simulating trabecular bone and combining them with another spongy biomaterial that simulates bone marrow, thus devising a 3D system with the capacity to host different cell types that make up the HN, such as HUVEC and mesenchymal cells (perivascular niche) as well as osteoblasts (endosteum niche).<br /><br />

Curriculum vitae<br />Letter of motivation