Enhancing scientific cooperation between Politecnico and the United States
Politecnico is consolidating its scientific collaboration with the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).
The two institutions, already involved in the TOP-UIC program - an initiative launched in 1997 that allows students from Politecnico to earn a Master of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago through an integrated path alongside their regular studies - are now working together on the project funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) titled "Innovative Materials and Techniques for Dental Health" (IMT4DeH).
Innovation in clinical settings is the central theme of this collaboration, with researchers Leonardo Iannucci from the Department of Applied Science and Technology-DISAT and Tolou Shokuhfar, director of the In-Situ Nanomedicine Laboratory at UIC, serving as coordinators.
The project focuses on restorative dentistry and aims to promote new lines of research for biomedical applications, including the development of innovative materials for the reconstruction of teeth damaged by cavities or fractures, as well as for absent parts of the dentition.
Set to last three years, with initial research phases starting in January, the project also offers opportunities to deepen scientific relations between Italy and the United States - an objective strongly supported by MAECI, which aims to facilitate visits between the two countries involving students, doctoral candidates, researchers, and faculty from each university.
In the current phase of the project, progress has been made in researching anodization treatments for titanium alloys intended for biomedical use, conducted in recent weeks by researcher Iannucci alongside colleagues from the CoMeTA (Corrosion Measurement Tools for Artefacts) research group.
The team, led by Professor Sabrina Grassini with support from Professor Emma Angelini and Leila Es Sebar, visited UIC, utilizing the equipment and tools available in the laboratories of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Illinois.
During the meeting between the Italian and U.S. researchers, a workshop was organized on September 20 to present the results achieved so far in the project and to stimulate new opportunities for interaction between the two universities.
The Consul General of Italy in Chicago, Mario Alberto Bartoli, attended the meeting and had previously received the researchers from Politecnico during their stay in Illinois to discuss potential future developments of the IMT4DeH project. In his introductory remarks, the Consul emphasized how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation pays great attention to strengthening scientific cooperation between Italy and the United States, highlighting the strategic nature of the partnership between Rome and Washington on research and innovation issues.
Bartoli encouraged participants to leverage the contributions from the Priority Research Grant project to create new opportunities for exchange and joint research.
Accompanying him was the Scientific Attaché at the Italian Consulate General in Chicago, Marcello Alecci, who underscored that the joint Politecnico-UIC project "IMT4DeH" falls within the strategic area of "Health and Life Sciences" which MAECI has awarded seven grants out of a total of eighteen, all led by young researchers from Italy and the United States under the age of 40.
In his remarks, Alecci highlighted that three of the seven grants have been awarded to Politecnico di Torino and the National Research Council, covering three research lines that fall among the six strategic thematic areas for the innovative development of the country.
“I am very happy to be working on this project” commented Leonardo Iannucci. “Together with Professor Shokuhfar's group, we are pursuing very interesting research topics that have significant implications both in materials science and clinical settings. In this regard, collaboration with Professor Nicola Scotti from the Dental School of UniTO has proven to be of fundamental importance. We plan to continue this collaboration even after the end of the three-year project, developing new joint project proposals.”
“As a university and as a Department of Biomedical Engineering, we highly value the collaboration with Politecnico di Torino, which aligns perfectly with UIC's strategic plans” added Tolou Shokuhfar. “Specifically, this project funded by MAECI has increased student exchanges, especially for master’s thesis students from Politecnico who are hosted in the laboratories of the UIC Department of Biomedical Engineering to work on their thesis projects.”