Participation of the DEM in the 1st Conference on Sustainability and Innovation in Polymers and Composite Materials: Addressing Current and Future Challenges

Our colleague Héctor Sanz had the opportunity to participate in the 1st Conference on Sustainability and Innovation in Polymers and Composite Materials: Addressing Current and Future Challenges, with a project focused on the fabrication of natural biocompatible hydrogels as an ethical and sustainable alternative for biomedical research. The work presented by Héctor, which was carried out in collaboration with the University of Barcelona, explained the development and mechanical and biological characterization of hydrogels, which are fabricated using extracellular matrix as raw material. This extracellular matrix, the main structural component of any organ or biological tissue, was isolated and decellularized from porcine myocardium, resulting in a bioink that can be used as a material for 3D bioprinting. Once gelled, the hydrogels exhibit sufficient mechanical properties to be handled with traditional surgical instruments, as well as being suitable for cell culture. This offers an ethical alternative aimed at reducing the number of animals sacrificed in basic and translational science.