Deborah Stanco

Ph.D. in Bioingegneria E Scienze Medico-chirurgiche , 32nd cycle (2016-2019)

Ph.D. obtained in 2020

Dissertation:

Toward personalized medicine: human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) and xenogenic-free media as enabling tools in tendon tissue engineering strategies. (Abstract)

Tutors:

Gianluca Ciardelli

Research presentation:

Poster

Profile

Research topic

Toward personalized medicine: development of a stem cell-based approach for tendon tissue engineer

Research interests

Medical Innovation and Technology
Orthopedics and orthopedics engineering
Biomedical signal and image processing

Biography

My professional experience in Biology started from high school dedicated to biology technician and then it continue with passion during my academic studies. After MSc graduation in Industrial Biotechnology with a thesis on the use of human adult stem cells for bone and cartilage tissue regeneration at University of Milan Bicocca, I passed the selection for my first Research fellow position at University of Milan (IT). In 2011 and until 2016 I was Research Associate at Galeazzi Orthopeadic Hospital and Research Institute (Milan, Italy) where I managed several scientific research projects aiming to explore new alternative approaches using Advance medicinal products to solve musculoskeletal related disorders. Then, I would start a PhD course in Bioengineering and medical surgical Sciences at Politecnico di Torino to improve my skills. In general, my research experience embraces the field of stem cells, medical devices, advance medicinal products, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. I am first author of five scientific articles and co-author of >10 articles published in peer-reviewed international journals. I performed a number of in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies, to investigated novel approaches or medical devices to treat musculoskeletal disorders in order to improve patient's health and tissue regeneration. In this regards, I studied adult stem cell potency and differentiation in vitro, complex stem cell culture with biomaterials in two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) in vitro and in vivo conditions and the biological effect of biophysical stimulation as pulsed electromagnetic field and shock waves on human primary tendon cell cultures. Evaluations that I performed include cell viability and proliferation analysis, cytocompatibility of biomaterials, gene expression (RT-PCR), immuno-assays (ELISA, immunofluorescence, cytofluorimetry), histological analysis and biochemical tests (enzymatic assays), in vitro model of inflammation. My PhD's project was started in 2016 (-end 2019) with the aim to develop a new tissue engineering strategy to enhance tendon regeneration. In particular, mimicking the biochemical-physiological cues of tendon, in collaboration with Swiss Stem Cell Foundation located in Lugano (CH), I have published a new GMP-compliant protocol to drive the differentiation of primary human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) toward tendon lineage in vitro (Stanco D, et al. PloSONE 2019). Then, in order to build a patch suitable in clinic to treat tendon damages, I am currently involved in a project, in collaboration with Joint Research center of European Commission in Ispra (IT), that aim to use 3D bioprinting technology to precise positioning of a hydrogel embedding ASCs with a 3D specific architecture and micro-scale ultrastructure to resemble tendon tissue shape and to address tenogenic differentiation of ASCs with and without biochemical stimuli in vitro.

Awards and Honors

  • Partecipazione in qualità di relatrice al III Workshop di Bioprinting: dal set-up della stampa alle analisi in laboratorio' presso Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Architettura dell'Università di Pavia (2019)
  • Poster "Xenogenic Free Media GMP-compliant to Induce Adipose-derived Stem Cells Toward Tenocyte-like phenotype" e partecipazione congresso 2019 Gruppo Italiano Cellule Staminali (GISM), 4-5 Aprile 2019, Genova (2019)
  • Speaker al 26th Annual meeting EORS -European Orthopaedic Research Society- Galway, 2018 (2018)
  • Partecipazione come speaker al congresso ICAST 2017-3rd International Congress on Adipose Stem cell Treatments promosso dalla Swiss Stem Cell Foundation (2017)
  • Partecipazione e presentazione poster durante Termis-EU Congress, European Chapter Meeting of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society 2017 Davos, Switzerland (26. – 30.06.2017) (2017)

Publications

Works published during the Ph.D. View all publications in Porto@Iris

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