University of Aveiro
University of Aveiro (UA) is one of the most dynamic and innovative universities in Portugal, known for its modern campus, vibrant academic community, and commitment to research and interdisciplinary studies. CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials is a research center at UA, focused on the study and development of advanced materials with applications in sustainability, digitization, energy and heath. Having around 500 multidisciplinary researchers, CICECO is the largest and most internationally competitive Materials Science and Engineering Institute in Portugal, ranked excellent by the Portuguese Ministry of Science with several successful partnerships with industry.
Work in m2M
UA will be responsible to put forward glucose, oxygen & growth factor releasing microspheres to incorporate m2M’s bioinks. The co-deposition of these micromaterials during bioprinting processes will address the challenge of nutrient delivery in cell dense bioprinted tissues, maintaining cellular viability and directing differentiation in a self-sustained manner. UA will leverage its own expertise together with University of Otago’s (UoO) and Metatissue’s (MetTis) to ensure that these inks provide resident cells with the necessary nutrients and biochemical cues to ensure healthy microtissues maturation.
Researchers involved
Past Publications
- Lavrador, P. et al. Engineered nascent living human tissues with unit programmability. Nature Chemistry. 24 (1) (2025);
- Zargarzadeh, M. et al. A Self-Sustaining Hydrogels with Autonomous Supply of Nutrients and Bioactive Domains for 3D Cell Culture. Advanced Functional Materials. 33(48) (2023);
- Sobreiro-Almeida, R. et al. Leveraging Blood Components for 3D Printing Applications Through Programmable Ink Engineering Approaches. Advanced Science. 11, 2406569 (2024).
- Zargarzadeh, M. et al. Self-glucose feeding hydrogels by enzyme empowered degradation for 3D cell culture. Materials Horizons. 9, 694-707 (2021);
- Gomes, M. C. et al. Self-Assembly of Platelet Lysates Proteins into Microparticles by Unnatural Disulfide Bonds for Bottom-Up Tissue Engineering. Advanced Materials 35(11) (2025)
