Jana Baščarević

Visiting student (University of Kragujevac – UNIKG, Serbia)

Supervisors in Erlangen:  Andrada-Ioana Damian-Buda, Andreaa-Luiza Mirt, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Engineering Vascularized Implants for Personalised Osteochondral Tissue Regeneration: From medical imaging to pre-clinical validation

Osteochondral injuries (OCI) represent a significant clinical challenge, arising from conditions such as trauma or osteonecrosis, and current therapeutic strategies still fall short of achieving complete regeneration of the subchondral bone–cartilage interface. Advancing understanding of OCI mechanisms and developing biofabricated, patient-specific implants with improved vascularization and functionality are essential steps toward effective clinical translation. Within the EngVIPO framework, work at FAU focuses on the 3D printing of alginate–gelatin-based hydrogels incorporating calcium phosphate nanopowders, (standard and ion-doped). The research also involves comprehensive characterization of both the nanopowders and the printed scaffolds.

The project EngVIPO has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-SE-01-01) under the Grant Agreement Number 101183041.