Biomaterials

Biography

José Becerra (J. Becerra) graduated and PhD (1976) in Biological Sciences at the University of Granada, Spain. He is full professor of Cell Biology at the University of Malaga (UMA) since 1989. He has been the dean of the Faculty of Sciences (UMA) (1986-93) and has been the head of the Department of Cell Biology, Genetics and Physiology (1994-2016). He promoted and directed (2001-03) the Andalusian Center of Developmental Biology (CABD). He has also been part of the Technical Commission of the National Bank of Cell Lines (2006-12), a member of the board of the FIMABIS Foundation (2005-12), part of the Science Commission from the ANECA for the evaluation of full professor candidates (2007-11), and part of the Steering Committee, coordinator of the Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Branch (2011-15) and deputy director (from 2015) of the Ciber-bbn. He is also Vice-president of the Academy of Science of Malaga. Since March 2014 he is the scientific director of The Andalusian Centre for Nanomedicine and Biotechnology, BIONAND (http://www.bionand.es/). His scientific career includes extended stays in the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB, CSIC) (Madrid, Spain), the Neuropathology Institute of the Freie Universität Berlin (Germany), the School of Medicine at the Universidade de Sao Paulo (Brazil) and the Children´s Hospital of the University of Southern California (USC) (Los Angeles, EEUU). Additionally he has also been visiting professor at the USC. His current research interests are focused on the study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of tissue regeneration and the translation of such knowledge to the human clinics through cartilage and bone tissue engineering. In his laboratory, therapeutic tools based on mesenchymal stem cells, recombinant proteins with specific molecular domains (bFGF, BMP-2 and BMP-6), biomimetic peptides and micro- and nanostructured biomaterials for osteo- and chondrogenesis based on collagen, ceramics, polymers and titanium are currently being developed. He is the author 120 scientific articles and inventor of seven registered patents. He is the principal investigator (PI) of several research grants and contracts with private companies, PI of the Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration Lab (LABRET). His research group is a member of the Cell Therapy Network (TerCel) and of the Ciber-bbn (Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid).

Research Interest

Cellular and moledcular mechanisms of tissue regeneration,cartilage and bone tissue engineering, mesenchymal stem cells, nanostructured biomaterials for osteo-and chondrogenesis based on polymers, composites,collagen and titanium.