Una Europa - Bio-Fabrication and Structural Integration

Bio-fabrication and advanced material processing sit at the foundation of modern biomedical engineering, bridging the gap between synthetic constructs and living systems across multiple scales. Inspired by the complex structure of natural tissues, structural integration relies on the precise integration of advanced manufacturing, engineered hydrogels, and bio-inspired materials to recreate native biological functions. These systems display complex behaviors, both individually and together: examples include high-fidelity 3D-printed soft scaffolds for tissue engineering, stimuli-responsive hydrogels designed for targeted drug delivery systems, biomimetic interfaces that guide cellular behavior, and bio-hybrid constructs integrated into next-generation medical devices.

This workshop concludes a series of four Una Europa mini-workshops and aims to bring together early- and mid-career academics (including tenure-track, assistant, and associate professors) in the field of materials science, polymer chemistry, and biomedical engineering. It provides a platform to connect with Una Europa colleagues, present ongoing research and future ambitions, and foster collaborations, while also identifying common features of bio-fabricated systems, clarifying the mechanisms behind their structural integration, and defining key open questions. In doing so, it addresses a shared challenge across biomedical engineering, materials science, soft matter physics, and translational medicine: uncovering unifying principles that link advanced manufacturing parameters and molecular-level material design to macroscopic tissue functionality and host compatibility across diverse engineered platforms.

During this workshop, particular emphasis will be placed on the advanced fabrication and 3D printing of soft materials for biomedical applications, principles of regulation and adaptation in engineered hydrogels, and the mechanical and biological matching of translational bio-interfaces. By exploring these themes, the workshop aims to uncover how cells and synthetic matrices work together to balance resilience and compliance in response to physiological stimuli, and how these principles can be used to develop the next generation of tissue engineering scaffolds, adaptive implants, responsive drug delivery systems, and functional medical devices."

Please note: the maximum number of participants will be about 20. Participation is limited to researchers affiliated with universities that are part of the UNA network (see https://www.una-europa.eu/about). In the event of oversubscription, priority will be given to a balanced representation of the Una partners, as well as to junior faculty.