Biomaterials and regenerative medicine

+ Info

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Gustavo Guinea Tortuero
gustavovictor.guinea@upm.es
ADDRESS

Centre for Biomedical Technology (CTB)

UPM Science and Technology Park. Montegancedo Campus
Ctra. M40 km.38. 28223, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid SPAIN

Group information

The main focus of our laboratory is the development of new biomaterials for regenerative medicine based on silk fibroin and the biofun ctionalisation of conventional biomaterials. From a more basic point of view, our research also aims to contribute to the understanding of basic questions in the field of biomechanics and mechanobiology.

The group’s main areas of research are: (1) Development, characterisation, and modelling of new bio-inspired biomaterials, (2) Application of cell mechanics as a diagnostic tool, and (3) biofunctionalisation of biomaterials.

Review

Gustavo Guinea is a Civil Engineer (Polytechnic University of Madrid, UPM) (1986) and holds a Licentiate degree in Physics (Complutense University of Madrid, 1988).
In 1990 he received the Extraordinary Doctorate Award, and in 1992, the Award for the Scientific Work of a Young Professor (UPM).

He holds the Robert L’Hermite medal (1994) of the International Union of Materials and Structures Laboratories and was a founder of the Spanish Society of Structural Integrity. Together with Manuel Elices, he created the first official degree in Materials Engineering in Spain (1995).

In 2006 he was appointed Corresponding Academician by the Royal Spanish Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences.

Since 2001 he has been Professor of Materials Science (UPM), specialising in biomaterials and biological materials, a field in which he has carried out more than twenty competitive research projects and published two hundred indexed articles. He is co-founder of the spin-off companies Sillbiomed and Bioactive Surfaces and author of three patents. Prof. Guinea has supervised ten doctoral theses and has been awarded five six-year research periods, six five-year teaching periods, and one six-year transfer period.

He is director of the Biomaterials and Regenerative Engineering Laboratory of the Biomedical Technology Centre (UPM) (2010), which he has also directed since 2016.

Strategic objectives

Development of new therapies and diagnostic processes in which biomaterials play a key role. This strategic objective is organised into five sub-objectives:

Applications of high-performance silk fibres. These biomaterials are applied to treat tendon and ligament injuries, as well as to generate axonal guides for the recovery of lesions in nerve connections.
Applications of silk hydrogels. Delayed hydrogels with encapsulated cells or in combination with drugs are used for the treatment of brain diseases and injuries, such as stroke.
Diagnostic applications of cell mechanics. Cell mechanical characterisation is used as a diagnostic procedure for a wide range of pathologies.
Applications of biofunctionalised biomaterials. Biofunctionalised biomaterials decrease the possibility of rejection and improve the body’s response to the implant.
Application of affinity atomic force microscopy. The identification of individual molecules is a powerful diagnostic technique to assess the effect of new drugs on different pathological conditions in cells and/or tissues.

Lines of research

Biomaterials based on silk fibroin. Silk proteins are used for the production of different formats of biomaterials: fibres, films, gels, meshes, etc. in combination with stem cells and biomolecules.
Cell mechanics and mechanobiology. The assessment of cell deformability by micropipette aspiration, atomic force microscopy and microfluidic methods allows characterisation of the physiological or pathological state of different cell lineages and is used as a diagnostic technique. The group is working on the analysis of the relationships between deformability, internal organisation and cell function.
Biofunctionalisation of biomaterials. Biomaterials are functionalised by activated steam silanisation, a patented technique that allows them to be covered with a biofunctional layer that modulates the organism’s response to the implant and enhances patient acceptance.
Atomic force microscopy of biological systems. Atomic force microscopy allows the characterisation of living systems from the molecular to the tissue scale, including the cellular scale. The use of specific detection probes allows the presence of individual biomolecules on the surface of cells to be characterised.