During my PhD, I worked on the development of three-dimensional scaffolds based on bioresorbable polymers and inorganic micro- and nanoparticles with advanced functionalities for tissue-engineering applications. I developed novel bioresorbable polymer systems in which the mechanical, physico-chemical, and functional properties of the material could be finely adjusted to meet the requirements of the specific biomedical application, a work that resulted in the publication of 7 peer-reviewed publications {Polymer Degradation and Stability, 2014; Journal of Biomedical Materials Research-Part A, 2014; Materials Science and Engineering C, 2014} and 2 patents {see below}.

After my PhD, I secured a postdoctoral position at the Centre for Research in Medical Devices (CÚRAM-National University of Ireland Galway), where I worked on the development of polymer-based microreactors encapsulating enzymes. This multidisciplinary profile, with core research training in materials science, enabled me to address multifaceted problems through the development of polymeric systems with advanced functional properties that respond to inherent diseases, causing changes in the physiological environment. An excellent example of such an effort is demonstrated in my recent publication {Acta Biomaterialia, 2018} where I developed polymer capsules that intercept intervertebral disc tissue degeneration by scavenging reactive oxygen species and modulating inflammation. During this period, I was also a visiting researcher at the Universität Basel (Switzerland) where I gained more experience in the fabrication and characterization of polymer capsules for therapeutic applications. This visit resulted in the publication of a review paper that covered this topic {Progress in Materials Science, 2017}. This expertise also allowed me to collaborate and be engaged in several multidisciplinary, disease-focused research projects with biomedical engineers, biologists, and clinicians to tailor polymeric micro- and nanoentities as delivery platforms for therapeutic and regenerative purposes in diverse disease scenarios {Advanced Functional Materials, 2020; Materials & Designs, 2020; Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2019}. Recently I was granted with 89,013 € as a co-PI in one such project where we will develop novel polymeric nanoentities and in vitro models to target glioblastoma.

Since 2018, I have an Associate Professor position at the University of the Basque Country and I continue with my research activities in the development of multifunctional polymeric devices through the supervision of 5 PhD Students.

Google Scholar (Aitor Larrañaga Espartero)

Edurne Marin graduated in Industrial Engineering in the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) in July 2016. After that, she did a Master in Industrial Engineering with a specialization in Material Science (UPV/EHU).

Since November 2018, she is a PhD student in the Group in Science and Engineering of Polymeric Biomaterials. Her research is focused on the development of micro- and nanoreactors for therapeutic applications fabricated via the layer-by-layer approach.

PhD Supervisors: Dr. Aitor Larrañaga & Prof. Jose-Ramon Sarasua

Maria Angela Motta earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Chemistry at the University of Padua in 2014 and 2017 respectively. She worked on the synthesis and characterization of peptides during her both final theses. In 2016, she began to approach the development of more complex systems during her master thesis, when she carried out a research work focused on the polymerization of peptide-based acetylenes, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Alessandro Moretto.

After working for a pharmaceutical company as an analytical chemist, Maria Angela has joined Polymat for her doctoral studies since November 2019. She is currently working on a multidisciplinary research project on the development of polypeptides-based microreactors for biomedical applications.

PhD Supervisors: Dr. Aitor Larrañaga & Prof. Marcelo Calderon

Ulyana Semenenko received her BSc in 2019 from University of Oviedo and her MSE in Advanced Materials Engineering in 2021 from University of Basque Country. During these years, she did several internships, from working with electrochemical and enzymatic biosensors, synthesizing polyphosphazenes and other inorganic nanostructures to developing bioabsorbable and biocompatible polyesters with focused application in biomedicine.

She joined Polymat for her PhD studies in January 2021. Her project is focused on the development of polypeptide-based nanocarriers in order to treat multiple skin infections.

PhD Supervisors: Dr. Aitor Larrañaga & Prof. Marcelo Calderon