Alfonso Emmanuel Castañeda Serrano is studying the second year of the International PhD in “Innovation Sciences and Technologies” hosted by the University of Cagliari (UNICA) and co-supervised by the Ri.MED Foundation and Pittsburgh University. He obtained the bachelor’s degree in “chemist pharmaceutical biotechnologist” at the University of Mexico’s Valley (UVM) and obtained the Marter’s degree in “Health Biotechnology” at the University of Calabria (UNICAL). During his academic career he carried out a curricular internship as a research assistant at Ri.MED foundation, the purpose of which was to conduct high-resolution histological characterization of the cardiac chordae tendineae to evaluate their structural composition and integrity. Since 2025, Emmanuel Castañeda serves as a PhD student at Fondazione Ri.MED for the Prof. D’Amore team in the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering.

His research focuses on the biofabrication of multilayered vascular grafts using extrusion-based bioprinting for advanced tissue engineering applications, integrating structural design, hydrogel-based bioink optimization, and biological performance assessment. His work investigates cellular proliferation, spatial organization, and tissue remodeling within engineered vascular constructs, including the role of chemical gradients and the impact of simulated microgravity using the Random Positioning Machine (RPM – Yuri platform). He develops and characterizes bioprinted constructs using the BioAssemblyBot platform, evaluating printing fidelity, construct stability, and cellular responses to complex biophysical environments. His expertise includes hydrogel formulation and handling, extrusion bioprinting, experimental design in regenerative medicine, vascular tissue engineering, and analysis of structure–function relationships in engineered tissues under altered gravitational conditions.