Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine

Research Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine Chair  

The Chair Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine conducts research on the development and application of polymeric (composite) medical implant materials and drug delivery systems. Its focus is on the synthesis of advanced biomaterials and their processing using advanced techniques, the application of these materials in regenerative medicine and the delivery of biologically active compounds. We currently collaborate with the University of Nijmegen (Dr. Toin van Kuppevelt and Dr. Willeke Daamen), the AO Research Institute in Switzerland (Prof. Matteo d’Este), and Tampere University of Technology (Dr. Reetta Sartoneva) and Aalto University in Finland (Prof. Dr. Jukka Seppälä). We also collaborate with national and international companies working in the field of biomaterials like Corbion Purac, Fujifilm, Polyganics, Xpand, Covidien/Medtronic and DSM.

Research facilities

Our laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment including: dedicated laboratory facilities for the preparation of biodegradable polymers and their processing into medical devices. Characterization methods of oligomers and polymeric materials and their surfaces, including DMA, DSC, TGA, GPC, NMR, end-group analyses, viscometry, FTIR, XPS, AFM, surface contact angle determinations and tensile testing, are available. Also advanced manufacturing techniques such as extrusion-based 3D printing and stereolithography are operational. Drug delivery, cell culturing experiments and biocompatibility evaluations with cell-viability assays can be performed in-house.

Educational activities

With respect to educational activities, the chair participates in the curricula of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering of the University of Twente, both in the Bachelor and Master phases. The education the chair is responsible for includes courses in polymer chemistry and biomedical materials engineering.

Currently the following B- and M-assignments are available:
Development of novel composite materials for the treatment of Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP)
Hybrid biomaterials based on natural and synthetic polymers