Large presence of the BBT at ESB 2021 conference

Although the 31st Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB 2021) was scheduled to take place in Porto (Portugal) from the 5th to the 9th of September, it was finally decided to hold it in virtual format, due to the current COVID crisis.

Dr. Maria-Pau Ginebra was invited to give a keynote lecture at the Symposium on "Innovative approaches to develop 3D nanostructured devices for bone and osteochondral regeneration".

Subsequently, different members of the delegation had the opportunity to present the following works:

- X. Solé-Martí, C. Labay, F. Tampieri, M. - P. Ginebra, C. Canal, Novel thermosensitive hydrogel for the delivery of reactive species generated by cold atmospheric plasma. Oral communication.

- C. García Mintegui, V. Chausse, C. Labay, C. Mas Moruno, J. L. Cortina, M. Pegueroles, Functionalization of biodegradable Zn-based alloys with poly(ε-caprolactone) and bioactive peptides to control degradation and enhance endothelialization. Oral communication.

- C. Labay, L. Johansson, M.-P. Ginebra, C. Canal, Calcium-Deficient Hydroxyapatite Microspheres as Antitumoral Carriers for Bone Cancer. Oral communication.

- M. Mateu-Sanz, J. Tornín, M.P. Ginebra, C. Canal. Collagen/nano-apatite scaffolds as osteosarcoma 3D culture models to investigate the resistance mechanism to cold plasma therapy. Oral communication.

- E. Vidal, E. Ruperez, D. Rodriguez. Manufacture of open-cell titanium structures with antibacterial properties. Oral communication.

- V. Chausse, C. Iglesias, C. Canal, M. Pegueroles. Development of drug-loaded, 3D printed PLLA/PLCL bioresorbable stents: characterization and influence of sterilization. Poster Communication.

On the other hand, Dr. Mas-Moruno and Dr. Rodríguez-Rius acted as co-chairs in two of the conference sessions.

As a festive point, Dr. Cédric Labay received the Best Photo Award, with the image that illustrates this article.

Finally, former PhD student at BBT, Dr. Joanna M. Sadowska, received the Julia Polak European Doctorate Award for her doctoral thesis "Effect of microstructural and chemical cues on the in vitro cell response to calcium phosphates", directed by Dra. Maria-Pau Ginebra and Dr. Jordi Guillem-Martí.