Maria Pau Ginebra obtains an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council
Feb 17, 2023
Dr. Maria Pau Ginebra, Full Professor of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (CEM) and Director of CEM and BBT, as well as of CREB's Biomaterials Division, has been awarded an Advanced Grant by the European Research Council (ERC) to study the mechanisms of interaction between biomaterials and bacteria, and develop surfaces capable of fighting infections and, at the same time, promoting bone regeneration. Advanced Grants are the highest distinction awarded by the ERC to research projects at the frontier of knowledge, and a culmination in the research career of Prof. Ginebra.
The Director of the BBT and Full Professor of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Maria-Pau Ginebra, has obtained an Advanced Grant (ERC) to carry out her project "Bio-inspired AntiMicrobial Bone BIoceramics: Deciphering contact-based biocidal mechanisms ( BAMBBI)".
Dr. Ginebra, an expert in the design of biomaterials for bone tissue regeneration, will develop synthetic bone grafts with bactericidal surfaces, capable of killing bacteria on contact, using strategies inspired by natural biomineralization processes present in nature, such as that of forming the skeletons of some marine animals such as coral or mother-of-pearl, the shells of molluscs or the skeletons of mammals.
Her research aims to advance knowledge of the interaction mechanisms of nanotopography and surface chemistry with the intrinsic properties of bacteria, which will allow the design of more efficient antibacterial surfaces.
In addition to representing a major advance in the field of bone regeneration, the generated knowledge in new methods of precise control of the nanostructure of inorganic materials will have an impact on very diverse fields such as catalysis, water purification, and separation of proteins, all of which are of great importance for the environment and the development of energetically sustainable processes.
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