Flaviana Falci is a PhD Student in “Technology and Science for Human Health” at the University of Palermo in collaboration with Ri.MED Foundation. She received her BSc in Biomedical Engineering – Biomaterials and Medical Devices in 2021 at the University of Palermo (Italy) and her MSc in Biomedical Engineering – Biomechanical and Medical Devices at the University of Palermo (Italy) in 2023. During the second year of her master’s degree, she carried out a curricular internship at Ri.MED Foundation, where she worked on post-processing techniques of electrospun scaffolds to enhance cellular infiltration.  

Flaviana’s research project focuses on the optimization of bioengineered chordae tendineae (CT) fabrication. 

Her work aims to fabricate CT surrogates with tunable micro-architecture and mechanics using the mandrel-less electrodeposition technique, integrating cells using a co-spinning approach of a polymeric solution and a cell suspension. The final goal is the in vitro assessment of these constructs’ regeneration capacity employing a stretching bioreactor. 

Her skills include biofabrication techniques, microscopy (brightfield microscopy, scanning electron microscopy), mechanical testing of native tissues and bioengineered constructs, histological techniques (embedding, cutting, and staining), cell culture techniques (cells seeding and growing on plate and scaffolds, viability testing), 3D modeling.