Nationality: Italian

Biography

I was born in Italy in 1994. I received Bachelor’s Degree (2016) and Master Degree (2019) in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano. I developed a Master thesis concerning the experimental and computational analysis of coronary stent at LaBS (Laboratory of Biological Structure Mechanics, Politecnico di Milano), as part of the H2020 InSilc project. I decided to contribute to research in the cardiovascular field by taking part to the BioImplant ITN PhD programme.

After the completion of the PhD project, my career goal is to continue with biomedical engineering research on prosthesis/devices employed in the cardiovascular system either in university or in an industry, by applying a combined approach of numerical and experimental analyses.

My Research

In the framework of BioImplant ITN PhD programme, I am working on a project titled ‘Computational and experimental development of a bioresorbable spiral laminar flow stent for peripheral artery application’, which will be carried out in NUI Galway (Galway, Ireland) and Vascular Flow Technology (Dundee, Scotland).

For the treatment of peripheral artery diseases (PADs), self-expandable Nitinol stents are widely employed for their excellent flexibility, however, being permanent, they are associated to inflammation, altered flow-dynamics, in-stent restenosis and mechanical failure due to fatigue [1] [2]. In this context, bioresorbable vascular scaffolds seem a promising alternative, supporting the vessel during the critical healing period and eventually being reabsorbed in 2-3 years, thus removing the risks related to metallic stents [3]. The application of bioresorbable implants for peripheral sites is in the early phases of advancement, with a relatively small number of devices  under development [4]; As such, my project aims at understanding how bioresorbable vascular scaffolds perform compared to self-expandable Nitinol stents. Further, a design optimization to incorporate VFT’s spiral laminal flow® will be performed on both types of devices. This research will be carried out by means of computational methods (e.g. finite elements, computational fluid dynamics) and experimental methods (e.g. mechanical bench tests, etc.).

[1]         T. Zeller, “Current state of endovascular treatment of femoro-popliteal artery disease,” Vasc. Med., vol. 12, pp. 223–234, 2007.

[2]         G. Kassimis and S. Spiliopoulos, “Bioresorbable scaffolds in peripheral arterial disease,” no. March, 2014.

[3]         G. Galyfos et al., “Bioabsorbable stenting in peripheral artery disease,” Cardiovasc. Revascularization Med., vol. 16, no. 8, pp. 480–483, 2015.

[4]         J. Lammer et al., “Bioresorbable Everolimus-Eluting Vascular Scaffold for Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease (ESPRIT I): 2-Year Clinical and Imaging Results,” JACC Cardiovasc. Interv., vol. 9, no. 11, pp. 1178–1187, 2016.

Host Institution

Industry