The Emerging Role of Silk Fibroin for the Development of Novel Drug Delivery Systems

Prof. Mauro Pollini received his master's degree in Materials Engineering in 2003 and his Ph.D. in Materials Engineering in 2008 at the University of Salento, Lecce. Since 2003, he has been a member of the Department of Engineering for Innovation at the University of Salento and, since 2013, he has been a research fellow in Industrial Bioengineering. He is also the Co-Founder of ‘Silvertech’, a spin-off company of the University of Salento operating in the field of advanced biomaterials with antimicrobial properties and surface functionalization. His research mainly focuses on the development of innovative techniques for the production of advanced biomaterials with antimicrobial properties, such as wound dressings for critical wounds, ulcers and burns, and biomedical devices and scaffolds for applications in tissue engineering. He is also the Co-Founder of “CareSilk”, a start-up company operating in the development of silk-based products for cosmetic and biomedical fields. His research interests are the development of smart textile materials with antibacterial, superabsorbent and thermal insulating properties, the development of antibacterial silver nanocoatings on natural and synthetic substrates, the development of antibacterial and regenerative silk protein-based biomaterials, and the development of advanced wound dressings for the treatment of critical wounds, burns and ulcers.

Prof. Federica Paladini received her master's degree in Materials Engineering in 2007 and her Ph.D. in Materials Engineering in 2013 at the University of Salento, Lecce. Since 2009, she has been a member of the Department of Engineering for Innovation at the University of Salento and, since 2011, she has been a visiting scientist at the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Science at the University of Brighton, UK. Since 2013, she has been a research fellow in Materials Science and Technology at the University of Salento. She is also the Co-Founder of “CareSilk S.r.l.s.”, a start-up company operating in the development of silk-based products for cosmetic and biomedical fields. Her research mainly focuses on the development of advanced biomaterials with antimicrobial properties and silk protein-based biomaterials for application in tissue engineering and in the management of critical wounds. Her research interests are the surface functionalization and modification of biomaterials, antimicrobial treatments on natural and synthetic substrates, the in vivo and in vitro characterization of advanced biomedical devices with antibacterial properties, the development of advanced wound dressings with antibacterial properties and the development of silk protein-based biomaterials for applications in tissue engineering.