Piezoelectric nanogenerators to enhance skin wound regeneration
Speaker: Andreu Blanquer (postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences)
Introduction: Gonzalo Murillo.
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Abstract
Epithelium in healthy skin establishes and maintains a constant electrical potential. When skin layers are damaged, their electrical resistance disappears and an electric field is created locally in the injured epithelium. In addition, diabetic skin and normal skin of aged patients evince a lower transepithelial potential, which could contribute to a delay of wound healing and to impaired microcirculation. Chronic wounds affect millions of patients around the world, and it is estimated that this would increase steadily in the future due to population ageing. Thus, new therapeutic approaches are being developed to enhance the wound healing process. Piezoelectric materials are able to create an inherent electric field when they are strained. The use of piezoelectric nanogenerators could enhance skin regeneration due to a local electrical stimulation.
About the speaker
Andreu Blanquer received his PhD in Cell Biology from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in 2016. The PhD thesis was focused on the in vitro biocompatibility studies of new alloys and smart materials for orthopaedical applications. In 2017, he joined the Insitute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM, CSIC) to study the effect of electrical stimulation on cells. Nowadays, he is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. He obtained a Widening Fellowship grant from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovative programme to analyse the use of piezoelectric materials for skin applications.