Gerardina Ruocco

I obtained a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering (Bionanotechnologies field) at Politecnico di Torino in October 2019. Currently, I am carrying out a PhD in Bioengineering and Medical-Surgical Sciences jointly run by Politecnico di Torino and Università Degli Studi di Torino.
During the Bachelor’s Degree I carried out a curricular internship at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMEAS) aimed at the fabrication of polyurethane-based scaffolds for tendon regeneration.
Thanks to the practical laboratory experiences provided by the specialization courses, I interfaced with the multidisciplinary field of tissue engineering (TE) strengthening my interest in scientific research.
In March 2019, I started my thesis at DIMEAS under the supervision of Full Professor Valeria Chiono and Irene Carmagnola (Ph.D.) and Alice Zoso (Ph.D.). My work, entitled "Development of an engineered fibrotic cardiac model based on electrospun bioartificial membranes" and included in the Biorecar ERC-CoG-2017 (grant agreement: 772168), concerns the design and development of in vitro models of pathological heart tissue to mimic cardiac fibrosis in the early stages of pathological remodeling.
After graduating, I started working as post graduate fellow in in the research group of Professor Valeria Chiono on "Development and characterization of fibrotic heart tissue models". I acquired knowledge in the field of additive manufacturing and strengthened my practical training in biology at the cellular laboratories of Torino and Alessandria. During this period I worked with biotechnologies and medicians, understanding the importance of a transversal and multidisciplinary perspective in the research activity.
During my PhD I developed in vitro models of healthy and pathological tissues to be proposed as platforms in order to replace or reduce animal testing according to 3Rs principle. During my PhD I worked on the design of an electrostimulation platform to provide differentiation or maturation stimuli. I also worked with 3D bioplotter instrument to create in vitro models that reproduce the three-dimensional physiological microenvironment.