CICECO » João Mano

Short CV

João F. Mano, PhD in Chemistry (1996, Technical Univ. Lisbon), D.Sc. in Tissue Engineering Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells (2012, Univ. Minho), is a full professor at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Aveiro (Portugal). During his career he has been teaching courses related to biomaterials/polymer science and technology, and tissue engineering, in both undergraduate and graduate levels. He is the director of the Doctoral Program on Biotechnology at the Univ. of Aveiro. He has also an appointment as Invited Professor (classe exceptionelle, since 2014) at University of Lorraine (France), and Visiting Professor in KAIST (South Korea) - 2019 and Adjunct Professor at Ajou University (South Korea) since 2020.

Since 2022 he is a vice-director at CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, where he is directing the COMPASS Research Group, founded in April 2016. His research focuses on the application of advanced biomaterials and cells to advance multidisciplinary concepts in the field of regenerative and personalized medicine. Specifically, he utilizes biomimetic and nano/micro-technology approaches to develop polymer-based biomaterials and surfaces for the creation of biomedical devices with enhanced structural and multi-functional properties. He also engineers microenvironments to regulate cell behavior and organization, with the goal of clinically applying these technologies in advanced therapies and drug screening, or in the bioengineering of disease models.

João F. Mano is author of 750+ original research or review papers in international journals (36000+ citations, h=96 – Web of Science) and 40+ book chapters. João F. Mano co-edited 9 special issues in international journals and 5 books. João F. Mano has been invited to review manuscripts from 340+ different international journals and to routinely evaluate projects from numerous private and state funding agencies from 19 different countries. He was the LS9 panel chair for the peer review ERC Advanced Grants (2020-2023). João F. Mano supervised or co-supervised 74+ MSc, 26 PhD students, and 40+ post-doctoral fellows. He filed 12 patents (8 as senior inventor). João F. Mano is the co-founder and chairman of: METATISSUE (2018), a company developing human-derived hydrogels for 3D cells culture (5 prizes and owner of two patents); and CELLULARIS Biomodels (2021), a company offering services for cell-based disease models (1 prize and 1 patent).

He is the Editor-in-Chief of Materials Today Bio (Elsevier). He has been also part of a series of scientific societies and editorial boards of 12 international journals. He has been coordinating or involved in many national and European research projects and participated in the organization of scientific events in the area of polymer/materials science and biomaterials/tissue engineering.

Professor João F. Mano has been member of scientific committees, organizing committees, referee and chairman in different international meetings. He was invited to present more than 120 invited/keynote/plenary talks in international conferences including EUROMAT, ESTAC, TERMIS (EU and AP chapters and World conferences), BIOMED, FBPS, NANOMED, COLAOB, ESB, SFB, World Biomaterials Conference, E-MRS, ESAO, EPF, ACS, CBECIMAT, NICE, Inter. HYMA, APME, APCChE, PPM, EPNOE, SELECTBIO, EFB, CRS, ECMNP, PAT, BioIberoamerica, RRB, ScSB, EuChemS, BPP.

João F. Mano has received different honours and awards: (i) fellow of the IUPAC (International Union of Pure

and Applied Chemistry) since 2004; (ii) the Stimulus to Excellence Award by the Portuguese Minister for Science and Technology in 2005; (iii) the Materials Science and Technology Prize, attributed by the Federation of European Materials Societies (FEMS) in 2007 (iv) UNESCO Chair on Biomaterials attributed in 2008 from the University of Havana (Cuba); (v) the major BES innovation award in 2010 (at that time, one of the most recognised innovation prize in Portugal); (vi) recipient an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (ERC-AdG), in 2015; (vii) received the title of Professor@Lorraine from the University of Lorraine, France, in 2018; (viii) recipient a Proof of Concept Grant from the European Research Council (ERC-PoC), in 2018; (ix) received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa, given by University of Lorraine, in 2019; (x) awarded with a Gutenberg Chair, supported by the Great East Region of France, in 2020; (xi) recipient a second ERC-AdG, in 2020; (xii) recipient a second ERC-PoC, in 2020; (xiii) elected fellow of the European Academy of Sciences (FEurASc); (xiv) Bluepharma | University of Coimbra Innovation Award 2019; (xv) Inducted Fellow Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE) in 2020; (xvi) Researcher Award University of Aveiro 2020 (first edition); (xvii) George Winter Award 2020: European Society for Biomaterials. (xviii) Madinaveitia-Lourenço Prize, from the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry, 2021. (xix) elected fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (FAIMBE), 2022; (xx) received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa, given by University of Utrecht, in 2022.

Background

◊ Habilitation in Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells (Univ. of Minho) - 2012

◊ PhD in Chemistry (Technical University of Lisbon) - 1996

◊ Chemical Engineering degree (I.S.T.) - 1992.

Research Area

- Bio-inspired materials: We take nature as a source of endless inspiration for the development of novel classes of polymer-based materials and processes, combining chemistry, materials science, and engineering tools.

- Cell and Tissue Engineering: Tissue engineering addresses the scarcity of tissues/organs available for repair and transplantation, by adopting multidisciplinary strategies permitting the ex-vivo creation of implantable hybrid constructs through the integration of biomaterials, therapeutic cells and physicochemical signals.

- Nano/micro platforms for biomedicine: Our group focuses on the use of an interplay and cutting-edge nano- and micro-technologies for addressing a multitude of biomedical applications, including those in diagnostics and therapy.

(http://compass.web.ua.pt/research-areas/)

Representative Publications (last 5 years)

1- S.C. Santos, C.A. Custódio, J.F. Mano - Photopolymerizable platelet lysate hydrogels for customizable 3D cell culture platforms. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 7, 1800849 (2018).

2- L.F. Santos, A.S. Silva, C.R. Correia, J.F. Mano - Physical immobilization of particles inspired by pollination. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), 116(12), 5405 (2019).

3- A.R. Sousa, C.M. Cruz, M.B. Oliveira, J.F. Mano - One‐step rapid fabrication of cell‐only living fibers. Advanced Materials, 32(2), 1906305 (2020).

4- A.S. Silva, L.F. Santos, M.C. Mendes, J.F. Mano - Multi-layer pre-vascularized magnetic cell sheets for bone regeneration. Biomaterials 231, 1196648 (2020).

5- C.F. Monteiro, S.C. Santos, C.A. Custódio, J.F. Mano – Human platelet lysates-based hydrogels: a novel personalized 3D platform for spheroid invasion assessment. Advanced Science 7 (7), 1902398 (2020).

6- I.M. Bjørge, M. Salmeron-Sanchez, C.R. Correia, J.F. Mano - Cell behavior within nanogrooved sandwich culture systems. Small, 16 (31), 2001975 (2020).

7- M.D. Neto, A. Stoppa, M.A. Neto, F.J. Oliveira, M.C. Gomes, A.R. Boccaccini, P.A. Levkin, M.B. Oliveira, J.F. Mano - Fabrication of quasi-2D shape-tailored microparticles using wettability contrast-based platforms. Advanced Materials, 33(14), 2007695 (2021).

8- M.M. Maciel, T.R. Correia, V.M. Gaspar, J.M.M. Rodrigues, I.S. Choi, J.F. Mano - Partial coated stem cells with bioinspired silica as new generation of cellular hybrid materials. Advanced Functional Materials, 31(29), 2009619 (2021).

9- M. Zargarzadeh, A.S. Silva, C. Nunes, M.A. Coimbra, C.A. Custódio, J.F. Mano - Self-glucose feeding hydrogels by enzyme empowered degradation for 3D cell culture. Materials Horizons, 9(2), 694-707 (2022).

10- R.C. Gonçalves, S. Vilabril, C.M.S.S. Neves, M.G. Freire, J.A.P. Coutinho, M.B. Oliveira, J.F. Mano - All-aqueous freeform fabrication of perfusable self-standing soft compartments. Advanced Materials, 34(31), 2200352 (2022).

[see complete list of publications in http://www.researcherid.com/rid/A-4418-2009]

João Mano

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Short CV

Background

Research Area

Representative Publications (last 5 years)

Ongoing Supervisions

Projects

Advancing the Regenerative and Translational Potential of Cellular Fibers (CellFi)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Associated Laboratory CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (LA/P/0006/2020)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Human Platelet Lysates-based Scaffolds for Interfacial Multi-tissue Repair (INTERLYNK)

CoordinatorEuropean Comission

Metabolite-activated 3D stem cell differentiation into bone (BetterBone)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

PRInted Symbiotic Materials as a dynamic platform for Living Tissues production (PRISM-LT)

Local CoordinatorEuropean Comission

Sondas neuronais fotónicas integradas para computação neuromórfica (PHEASANT)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

3D cells colonization in marine-derived hydrogels through controlled micro-channels patterning for bone repair (PROMENADE)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

A bioactivated nano-layered hydrogel for dermal regeneration in hard-to-heal ulcers (BioNaNor)

Local CoordinatorOther International

Bioengineered autonomous cell-biomaterials devices for generating humanised micro- tissues for regenerative medicine (ATLAS)

CoordinatorEuropean Comission

Bioinspired tile-matching to create ultrastructured bone microtissues in a close-to-native fashion (TETRISSUE)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Biorrefinaria de microalgas Coccolithophore: uma abordagem para biomateriais sustentaveis (Coccolitho4BioMat)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Cápsulas esféricas multicompartimentalizadas de alto rendimento para a transplantação de co-culturas multimodais de células estaminais derivadas do tecido adiposo e ilhotas pancreáticas. (TranSphera)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Desenvolvimento de uma membrana periodontal multicamada composta por blocos inovativos a base de polimeros de origem marinha e enzima para regeneracao guiada de osso que possui mineralizacao enzimatica controlada. (MIMETIc)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Development of 4D wireless thermometry to target tumor ablation (PTDC/NAN-MAT/3901/2020)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Dispositivos Supramoleculares Auto-Regulados baseados na Complementaridade dos Pares de Base do ADN: Uma Tecnologia Biomimética e com Reconheciemnto Molecular para Isolar Células Específicas para Aplicações Biomédicas (SUPRASORT)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Enabling precision chemical methodologies applied to natural -based systems for the development of multifunctional biomedical devices (CHEM2NATURE)

Local CoordinatorEuropean Comission

European Network of Bioadhesion Expertise: Fundamental Knowledge to Inspire Advanced Bonding Technologies (COST Action CA15216)

Local CoordinatorEuropean Comission

Extracellular matrix derived products from human placenta to engineer bone microtissues for in vitro disease models (AMNIOGEL)

CoordinatorEuropean Comission

Hidrogéis de Lisados de Plaquetas para Regeneração do Miocárdio (BEAT)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Human based bioinks to engineer physiologically relevant tissues (HumanINK)

CoordinatorEuropean Comission

Hydralazine: Testing an off-label effect in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (HyTherCaP)

Local CoordinatorFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Marine Origin Biopolymers as Innovative Building Blocks from the Sea for the Development of Bioresorbable Multilayered Membranes for guided bone regeneration (BLUETEETH)

CoordinatorFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Metodologias eficientes para a conjugação de polissacarídeos naturais com péptidos para obtenção de membranas multifuncionais para regeneração periodontal. (COP2P)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Novel 3D platforms to engineer bone microtissues for in vitro disease models (Microbone)

CoordinatorEuropean Comission

Produção de Plataformas Microcapsulares 3D+ para Avaliação Laboratorial em Larga Escala de Novas Terapias Combinatórias para o Cancro do Pâncreas (PANGEIA)

PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Tailored Elastin-like Recombinamers as Advanced Systems for Cell Therapies in Diabetes Mellitus:a Synthetic Biology Approach towards a Bioeffective and Immunoisolated Biosimilar Islet/Cell Niche (ELASTISLET)

Local CoordinatorEuropean Comission

Publications

Perinatal tissues and cells in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine

Recent progresses in the adsorption of organic, inorganic, and gas compounds by MCM-41-based mesoporous materials

Repurposing Old Drugs into New Epigenetic Inhibitors: Promising Candidates for Cancer Treatment?

Responsive laminarin-boronic acid self-healing hydrogels for biomedical applications

Role of active nanoliposomes in the surface and bulk mechanical properties of hybrid hydrogels

Self-Assembled Bioactive Colloidal Gels as Injectable Multiparticle Shedding Platforms

Thin Silica-Based Microsheets with Controlled Geometry

Complex-shaped magnetic 3D cell-based structures for tissue engineering

Leachable-Free Fabrication of Hydrogel Foams Enabling Homogeneous Viability of Encapsulated Cells in Large-Volume Constructs

Modeling of Cell-Mediated Self-Assembled Colloidal Scaffolds

New Trends in Smart Nanostructured Biomaterials in Health Sciences

Natural Polymers in Wound Healing and Repair

Nanofertilizers—synthesis, advantages, and the current status

Animal Protein-based Soft Materials for Tissue Engineering Applications

Extending the Functionality of Marine-origin Polysaccharides Through Chemical Modification for Biomedical Applications