Organization/Department 
Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna 
Associate Professor of Bioengineering  
Head of the “Regenerative Technologies” Lab at the BioRobotics Institute  

Biography 
Leonardo Ricotti is Associate Professor of Bioengineering and head of the “Regenerative Technologies” Lab at the BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. His research activities focus on tissue regeneration, artificial organs and miniaturized therapies. He is co-author of ~115 scientific publications, 6 book chapters on micro-nano systems for biomedical applications and inventor of 15 patents. He is Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on NanoBioscience and of the IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics. In 2012, he received the “Massimo Grattarola” award for the best PhD Thesis in bioengineering. In July 2014, he received the European Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Doctoral Award. In 2018, he received regional and national prizes as a member of the spin-off company Relief s.r.l. He currently coordinates a European project (ADMAIORA – ADvanced nanocomposite MAterIals fOr in situ treatment and ultRAsound-mediated management of osteoarthritis), funded in the H2020 framework and is PI of other projects in which Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna participates as a partner. 

Title of Talk 
Smart materials and ultrasound for cartilage healing: the ADMAIORA project 

Abstract 
The convergence between stem cell technology, innovative biomaterials and biophysical stimulation may enable new therapeutic strategies to face osteoarticular diseases. This talk describes the approach pursued within the ADMAIORA project, in which a cartilage-related pathology (osteoarthritis) is tackled. In the talk, the results obtained on novel nanotechnologies, ultrasonic stimulation systems, injectable and printable hydrogels and other enabling technologies to pursue cartilage regeneration are discussed, defining the perspective for their future in vivo translation.