Dr Iman Roohani
Visiting Fellow

Dr Iman Roohani

(B.Sc. Mater Sci,  M.Sc. Biomat Sci,  Ph.D. Biomed Eng), 

Engineering
School of Chemical Engineering

Biographical Details

I was awarded my Ph.D. degree in 2014 (in Biomedical Engineering, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering) from University of Sydney. My research group is investigating cell-biomaterial based strategies for musculoskeletal tissue regeneration and their application in the clinical translation of orthopaedic medical devices. This research technology platform involves 3D Biofabrication and additive manufacturing of biomaterials and medical devices applied to regenerative medicine of bone and development of novel nanocarriers and bone grafts to promote bone healing or treat bone diseases. Throughout my career, I have developed several novel biomaterials for the treatment of large bone defects, osteochondral defect regeneration and for stabilisation of metallic implants. I was fortunate as an early career researcher and the main inventor, to translate an innovative bioengineering technology from the laboratory bench through to successful commercialisation of a tissue engineering product. This product, a novel synthetic bone graft, Sr-HT-Gahnite, has been exclusively licenced globally by an Australian orthopaedic medical device company, Allegra Orthopaedics. Allegra was awarded $1.6M from the NSW Government Medical Devices Fund in 2015 to bring this technology to market. My achievements have been recognised through receiving of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellowship for funding in 2016–2019. In 2017, I moved to University of New South Wales, School of Chemistry as a research fellow to work closely with Scientia Professor Justin Gooding and establish a Biomaterials Design and Tissue Engineering lab.

Available projects

  • Cell-instructive and cell-responsive biomaterials (the aim is to develop a unique approach in building biomaterials that are cell-instructive and cell-responsive. This can create a selective and dynamic feedback loop between a cell and the microenvironment).
  • Gene activating scaffolds (The aim of this study is to develop a new generation of 3D constructs that can host cells in a 3D dimensional environment and are able to deliver biomolecules into the cells).
  • New generation of bioceramic, bioactive glasses and bone cements for musculoskeletal tissue regeneration.                      
  • Development of universal methodologies to test efficacy of biomaterials; replacing the conventional methods.
  • Printing complexed shaped inorganic based tissue scaffolds for tissue engineering applications.
  • Synthesis of new generation of bioceramic, bioactive glasses and bone cements for musculoskeletal tissue regeneration.
  • Development of biomaterials as synthetic tendon, skin and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
  • Biomaterials for neural regeneration (material effects on cell behaviours such as proliferation, differentiation, directed neurite growth, and tissue function).
  • An exhaustive investigation on Biomaterials-microstructure-protein/cell interactions.
  • Surface coating strategies for medical implants and tissue scaffolds.
  • Designing load bearing scaffolds for treatment of segmental bone defects.
  • Synthesis and fabrication of multifunctional calcium phosphate nanoparticles.

Interested in joining the group?

Please contact me 

  • Book Chapters | 2021
    2021, 'iPSC bioprinting for musculoskeletal tissue', in iPSCs in Tissue Engineering, Elsevier, pp. 237 - 270, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-823809-7.00008-6
    Book Chapters | 2012
    Roohani-Esfahani SI; Zreiqat HH, 2012, 'Ceramic Scaffolds, Current Issues and Future Trends', in Integrated Biomaterials in Tissue Engineering, pp. 25 - 46, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781118371183.ch2
  • Journal articles | 2022
    2022, 'Emerging concepts in bone repair and the premise of soft materials', Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 74, pp. 220 - 229, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2021.12.004
    Journal articles | 2021
    2021, 'Antibacterial peptidomimetic and characterization of its efficacy as an antibacterial and biocompatible coating for bioceramic-based bone substitutes', Materials Advances, 2, pp. 6369 - 6379, http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d1ma00648g
    Journal articles | 2021
    2021, 'How to build a bone? - Hydroxyapatite or Posner's clusters as bone minerals', Open Ceramics, 6, pp. 100092 - 100092, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oceram.2021.100092
    Journal articles | 2021
    2021, 'Low-Temperature Synthesis of Hollow β-Tricalcium Phosphate Particles for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications', ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c01018
    Journal articles | 2021
    2021, 'Nature-inspired topographies on hydroxyapatite surfaces regulate stem cells behaviour', Bioactive Materials, 6, pp. 1107 - 1117, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bioactmat.2020.10.001
    Journal articles | 2021
    2021, 'Synthetic Bone-Like Structures Through Omnidirectional Ceramic Bioprinting in Cell Suspensions', Advanced Functional Materials, 31, pp. 2008216 - 2008216, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202008216
    Journal articles | 2020
    2020, 'A modular design strategy to integrate mechanotransduction concepts in scaffold-based bone tissue engineering', Acta Biomaterialia, 118, pp. 100 - 112, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2020.10.012
    Journal articles | 2020
    2020, 'Elliptical supra-cellular topographies regulate stem cells migratory pattern and osteogenic differentiation', Materialia, 14, pp. 100870 - 100870, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mtla.2020.100870
    Journal articles | 2020
    2020, 'On design for additive manufacturing (DAM) parameter and its effects on biomechanical properties of 3D printed ceramic scaffolds', Materials Today Communications, 23, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2020.101065
    Journal articles | 2019
    2019, '3D printing of bioceramic scaffolds-barriers to the clinical translation: From promise to reality, and future perspectives', Materials, 12, http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma12172660
    Journal articles | 2019
    2019, 'A Novel Bone Substitute with High Bioactivity, Strength, and Porosity for Repairing Large and Load-Bearing Bone Defects', Advanced Healthcare Materials, 8, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adhm.201801298
    Journal articles | 2019
    2019, 'Architectural Design of 3D Printed Scaffolds Controls the Volume and Functionality of Newly Formed Bone', Advanced Healthcare Materials, 8, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adhm.201801353
    Journal articles | 2019
    2019, 'Correction to: A Novel Bone Substitute with High Bioactivity, Strength, and Porosity for Repairing Large and Load-Bearing Bone Defects (Advanced Healthcare Materials, (2019), 8, 8, (1801298), 10.1002/adhm.201801298)', Advanced Healthcare Materials, 8, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adhm.201900641
    Journal articles | 2019
    2019, 'Modulatory effect of simultaneously released magnesium, strontium, and silicon ions on injectable silk hydrogels for bone regeneration', Materials Science and Engineering C, 94, pp. 976 - 987, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.msec.2018.10.053
    Journal articles | 2019
    2019, 'Triple-Bioinspired Burying/Crosslinking Interfacial Coassembly Strategy for Layer-by-Layer Construction of Robust Functional Bioceramic Self-Coatings for Osteointegration Applications', ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 11, pp. 4447 - 4469, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b20429
    Journal articles | 2019
    2019, 'iPSC bioprinting: Where are we at?', Materials, 12, http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma12152453
    Journal articles | 2017
    Li JJ; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Kim K; Kaplan DL; Zreiqat H, 2017, 'Silk coating on a bioactive ceramic scaffold for bone regeneration: effective enhancement of mechanical and in vitro osteogenic properties towards load-bearing applications', Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, 11, pp. 1741 - 1753, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/term.2070
    Journal articles | 2017
    Lu Z; Chen Y; Dunstan C; Roohani-Esfahani S; Zreiqat H, 2017, 'Priming Adipose Stem Cells with Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Preconditioning Potentiates Their Exosome Efficacy for Bone Regeneration', Tissue Engineering - Part A, 23, pp. 1212 - 1220, http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/ten.tea.2016.0548
    Journal articles | 2017
    Roohani-Esfahani SI; Lin K; Zreiqat H, 2017, 'Fabrication of bioinspired structured glass–ceramics with enhanced fracture toughness', Journal of Materials Science, 52, pp. 9202 - 9210, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10853-017-1056-z
    Journal articles | 2017
    Roohani-Esfahani SI; Zreiqat H, 2017, 'Nanoparticles: A promising new therapeutic platform for bone regeneration?', Nanomedicine, 12, pp. 419 - 422, http://dx.doi.org/10.2217/nnm-2016-0423
    Journal articles | 2017
    Sehgal RR; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Zreiqat H; Banerjee R, 2017, 'Nanostructured gellan and xanthan hydrogel depot integrated within a baghdadite scaffold augments bone regeneration', Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, 11, pp. 1195 - 1211, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/term.2023
    Journal articles | 2017
    Wang G; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Zhang W; Lv K; Yang G; Ding X; Zou D; Cui D; Zreiqat H; Jiang X, 2017, 'Effects of Sr-HT-Gahnite on osteogenesis and angiogenesis by adipose derived stem cells for critical-sized calvarial defect repair', Scientific Reports, 7, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep41135
    Journal articles | 2016
    Entezari A; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Zhang Z; Zreiqat H; Dunstan CR; Li Q, 2016, 'Fracture behaviors of ceramic tissue scaffolds for load bearing applications', Scientific Reports, 6, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep28816
    Journal articles | 2016
    Graney PL; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Zreiqat H; Spiller KL, 2016, 'In vitro response of macrophages to ceramic scaffolds used for bone regeneration', Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 13, http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2016.0346
    Journal articles | 2016
    Li JJ; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Dunstan CR; Quach T; Steck R; Saifzadeh S; Pivonka P; Zreiqat H, 2016, 'Efficacy of novel synthetic bone substitutes in the reconstruction of large segmental bone defects in sheep tibiae', Biomedical Materials (Bristol), 11, http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-6041/11/1/015016
    Journal articles | 2016
    Roohani-Esfahani SI; Newman P; Zreiqat H, 2016, 'Design and Fabrication of 3D printed Scaffolds with a Mechanical Strength Comparable to Cortical Bone to Repair Large Bone Defects', Scientific Reports, 6, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep19468
    Journal articles | 2016
    Roohani-Esfahani SI; No YJ; Lu Z; Ng PY; Chen Y; Shi J; Pavlos NJ; Zreiqat H, 2016, 'A bioceramic with enhanced osteogenic properties to regulate the function of osteoblastic and osteocalastic cells for bone tissue regeneration', Biomedical Materials (Bristol), 11, http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-6041/11/3/035018
    Journal articles | 2015
    Chen Y; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Lu ZF; Zreiqat H; Dunstan CR, 2015, 'Zirconium ions up-regulate the BMP/SMAD signaling pathway and promote the proliferation and differentiation of human osteoblasts', PLoS ONE, 10, http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0113426
    Journal articles | 2015
    Kariem H; Pastrama MI; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Pivonka P; Zreiqat H; Hellmich C, 2015, 'Micro-poro-elasticity of baghdadite-based bone tissue engineering scaffolds: A unifying approach based on ultrasonics, nanoindentation, and homogenization theory', Materials Science and Engineering C, 46, pp. 553 - 564, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.msec.2014.10.072
    Journal articles | 2015
    Li JJ; Kim K; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Guo J; Kaplan DL; Zreiqat H, 2015, 'A biphasic scaffold based on silk and bioactive ceramic with stratified properties for osteochondral tissue regeneration', Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 3, pp. 5361 - 5376, http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c5tb00353a
    Journal articles | 2015
    Lu ZF; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Li JJ; Zreiqat H, 2015, 'Synergistic effect of nanomaterials and BMP-2 signalling in inducing osteogenic differentiation of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells', Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine, 11, pp. 219 - 228, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2014.09.008
    Journal articles | 2015
    Newman P; Lu Z; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Church TL; Biro M; Davies B; King A; Mackenzie K; Minett AI; Zreiqat H, 2015, 'Porous and strong three-dimensional carbon nanotube coated ceramic scaffolds for tissue engineering', Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 3, pp. 8337 - 8347, http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c5tb01052g
    Journal articles | 2015
    No YJ; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Lu Z; Schaer T; Zreiqat H, 2015, 'Injectable radiopaque and bioactive polycaprolactone-ceramic composites for orthopedic augmentation', Journal of Biomedical Materials Research - Part B Applied Biomaterials, 103, pp. 1465 - 1477, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jbm.b.33336
    Journal articles | 2014
    Lu Z; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Zreiqat H, 2014, 'Mimicking bone microenvironment for directing adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells into osteogenic differentiation', Methods in Molecular Biology, 1202, pp. 161 - 171, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/7651-2013-38
    Journal articles | 2014
    Lu ZF; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Zreiqat H, 2014, 'Mimicking bone microenvironment for directing adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells into osteogenic differentiation', Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 1202, pp. 161 - 171, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/7651_2013_38
    Journal articles | 2014
    Lu ZF; Wang GC; Roohani-Esfahani I; Dunstan CR; Zreiqat H, 2014, 'Baghdadite ceramics modulate the cross talk between human adipose stem cells and osteoblasts for bone regeneration', Tissue Engineering - Part A, 20, pp. 992 - 1002, http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/ten.tea.2013.0470
    Journal articles | 2014
    Newman P; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Zreiqat H; Minett A, 2014, 'See the extracellular forest for the nanotrees', Materials Today, 17, pp. 43 - 44, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mattod.2013.12.007
    Journal articles | 2014
    No YJ; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Zreiqat H, 2014, 'Nanomaterials: The next step in injectable bone cements', Nanomedicine, 9, pp. 1745 - 1764, http://dx.doi.org/10.2217/nnm.14.109
    Journal articles | 2014
    Roohani-Esfahani SI; Wong KY; Lu Z; Juan Chen Y; Li JJ; Gronthos S; Menicanin D; Shi J; Dunstan C; Zreiqat H, 2014, 'Fabrication of a novel triphasic and bioactive ceramic and evaluation of its in vitro and in vivo cytocompatibility and osteogenesis', Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 2, pp. 1866 - 1878, http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c3tb21504k
    Journal articles | 2013
    Li JJ; Gil ES; Hayden RS; Li C; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Kaplan DL; Zreiqat H, 2013, 'Multiple silk coatings on biphasic calcium phosphate scaffolds: Effect on physical and mechanical properties and in vitro osteogenic response of human mesenchymal stem cells', Biomacromolecules, 14, pp. 2179 - 2188, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/bm400303w
    Journal articles | 2013
    Roohani-Esfahani SI; Chen Y; Shi J; Zreiqat H, 2013, 'Fabrication and characterization of a new, strong and bioactive ceramic scaffold for bone regeneration', Materials Letters, 107, pp. 378 - 381, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2013.06.046
    Journal articles | 2013
    Roohani-Esfahani SI; Dunstan CR; Li JJ; Lu Z; Davies B; Pearce S; Field J; Williams R; Zreiqat H, 2013, 'Unique microstructural design of ceramic scaffolds for bone regeneration under load', Acta Biomaterialia, 9, pp. 7014 - 7024, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2013.02.039
    Journal articles | 2012
    Lu ZF; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Wang G; Zreiqat H, 2012, 'Bone biomimetic microenvironment induces osteogenic differentiation of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells', Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine, 8, pp. 507 - 515, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2011.07.012
    Journal articles | 2012
    Roohani-Esfahani SI; Dunstan CR; Davies B; Pearce S; Williams R; Zreiqat H, 2012, 'Repairing a critical-sized bone defect with highly porous modified and unmodified baghdadite scaffolds', Acta Biomaterialia, 8, pp. 4162 - 4172, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2012.07.036
    Journal articles | 2012
    Roohani-Esfahani SI; Lu ZF; Li JJ; Ellis-Behnke R; Kaplan DL; Zreiqat H, 2012, 'Effect of self-assembled nanofibrous silk/polycaprolactone layer on the osteoconductivity and mechanical properties of biphasic calcium phosphate scaffolds', Acta Biomaterialia, 8, pp. 302 - 312, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2011.10.009
    Journal articles | 2012
    Roohani-Esfahani SI; Nouri-Khorasani S; Lu ZF; Fathi MH; Razavi M; Appleyard RC; Zreiqat H, 2012, 'Modification of porous calcium phosphate surfaces with different geometries of bioactive glass nanoparticles', Materials Science and Engineering C, 32, pp. 830 - 839, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.msec.2012.01.034
    Journal articles | 2012
    Wang G; Lu Z; Xie KY; Lu WY; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Kondyurin A; Zreiqat H, 2012, 'A facile method to in situ formation of hydroxyapatite single crystal architecture for enhanced osteoblast adhesion', Journal of Materials Chemistry, 22, pp. 19081 - 19087, http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c2jm34367c
    Journal articles | 2011
    Lu Z; Roohani-Esfahani SI; Kwok PC L; Zreiqat H, 2011, 'Osteoblasts on rod shaped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles incorporated pcl film provide an optimal osteogenic niche for stem cell differentiation', Tissue Engineering - Part A, 17, pp. 1651 - 1661, http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/ten.tea.2010.0567
    Journal articles | 2011
    Roohani-Esfahani SI; Lu Z; Zreiqat H, 2011, 'Novel, simple and reproducible method for preparation of composite hierarchal porous structure scaffolds', Materials Letters, 65, pp. 2578 - 2581, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2011.06.019
    Journal articles | 2011
    Roohani-Esfahani SI; Nouri-Khorasani S; Lu ZF; Appleyard RC; Zreiqat H, 2011, 'Effects of bioactive glass nanoparticles on the mechanical and biological behavior of composite coated scaffolds', Acta Biomaterialia, 7, pp. 1307 - 1318, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2010.10.015
    Journal articles | 2010
    Emadi R; Roohani Esfahani SI; Tavangarian F, 2010, 'A novel, low temperature method for the preparation of ß-TCP/HAP biphasic nanostructured ceramic scaffold from natural cancellous bone', Materials Letters, 64, pp. 993 - 996, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2010.01.085
    Journal articles | 2010
    Emadi R; Tavangarian F; Esfahani SI R; Sheikhhosseini A; Kharaziha M, 2010, 'Nanostructured forsterite coating strengthens porous hydroxyapatite for bone tissue engineering', Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 93, pp. 2679 - 2683, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1551-2916.2010.03817.x
    Journal articles | 2010
    Emadi R; Tavangarian F; Esfahani SI R, 2010, 'Biodegradable and bioactive properties of a novel bone scaffold coated with nanocrystalline bioactive glass for bone tissue engineering', Materials Letters, 64, pp. 1528 - 1531, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2010.04.011
    Journal articles | 2010
    Roohani-Esfahani SI; Nouri-Khorasani S; Lu Z; Appleyard R; Zreiqat H, 2010, 'The influence hydroxyapatite nanoparticle shape and size on the properties of biphasic calcium phosphate scaffolds coated with hydroxyapatite-PCL composites', Biomaterials, 31, pp. 5498 - 5509, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2010.03.058
    Journal articles | 2010
    Tavangarian F; Emadi R; Roohani Esfahani SI, 2010, 'A novel method to synthesis of β-TCP/HA biphasic nanocrystalline powder by using bovine bone', International Journal of Modern Physics B, 24, pp. 3365 - 3372, http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/S0217979210055329
    Journal articles | 2008
    Esfahani SI R; Tavangarian F; Emadi R, 2008, 'Nanostructured bioactive glass coating on porous hydroxyapatite scaffold for strength enhancement', Materials Letters, 62, pp. 3428 - 3430, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2008.02.061
  • Conference Papers | 2009
    Fathi MH; Mortazavi V; Hanifi A; Roohani SI, 2009, 'Synthesis, characterization and bioactivity evaluation of nano-structured hydroxyapatite', in WIT Transactions on Engineering Sciences, pp. 309 - 317, http://dx.doi.org/10.2495/MC090291

2018-2020 Roohani-Esfahani (CIA), A Targeted Drug Delivery System for Treatment of Bone Metastasis. NHMRC project grant; AUD $243,607.00, Australia.

2018-2020 Roohani-Esfahani (CID), Optimising bone regeneration using advanced design and fabrication technologies. NHMRC project grant; AUD $916,671.00, Australia.

2019-2020 DAAD German Academic Exchange Service; Gooding (AU), Roohani-Esfahani (AU), Balmayor (DE); Spatiotemporal Delivery of Chemically modified RNA with a Novel 3D Printed Ceramic Scaffold to Treat Large Bone Defects.

2016-2020 Roohani-Esfahani (CIA), Optimising microstructure of 3D printed biomaterials provides an appropriate microenvironment  for reconstruction of segmental bone defects; NHMRC /Early Career Fellowship. AUD 314,644.00

2014-2016 Roohani-Esfahani SI (CI), Han L (AI), Steck R (AI) and Zreiqat H (AI). Architecturally-controlled synthetic bone   substitutes for bone regeneration under load. AO Foundation Start up Grant; AUD $95,000, Davos, Switzerland.

2015-2016 H Zreiqat (CI), Roohani-Esfahani. The Cellular-Scaffold Interface unravelled: Advanced Multiphoton-Imaging to optimize Bone Tissue Engineering printed Ceramics, Group of Eight/Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme.

2014-2016   K Spiller, Roohani-Esfahani SI, H Zreiqat (CI). Research planning and proof-of-concept study of macrophage-scaffold interactions. US National Science Foundation, CNIC Scheme; USD $70,000.

2014-2015   Roohani-Esfahani SI. Early Career Researcher Development Scheme, University of Sydney; AUD $44,000.

2018  Fresh Science Recipient NSW. 

2018  Australian & New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society Travel Award.

2017 Excellent Research Contribution Award and Travel Award, 6th Int`l Conference on Tissue Engineering/3rd Int`l Conference on Regenerative Biomedical Materials, Crete, Greece.

2016   NH&MRC Peter Doherty Biomedical Early Career Research Fellowship.

2016   Dean’s Research Excellence Award, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Sydney.

2016   Selected as TERMIS-AP SYIS advisory committee member in Taiwan out of international applicants.

2015   Selected Tissue Engineering Young Investigator Council, Tissue Engineering Journal, USA (over 450 world-wide    applicants).

2014   Outstanding Young Investigator Award in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, South Korea.

2014   Australian & New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society Travel Award.

2014   Outstanding Reviewer of the Journal of Materials Science and Engineering Materials for Biological applications.

2012    Research Excellence 1st Award for outstanding PhD research achievement, University of Sydney.

2012   Australian & New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society Travel Award.

2012   Runner Up for Excellence in Innovation Award at Research Conversazione, University of Sydney.

2011   Best Postgraduate Poster Presentation Award in the field of Biomedical Engineering, University of Sydney.

2011 Runner Up for outstanding graduate student, WFRIM young investigator award, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine-North America, Texas, USA.

2011   Sydnovate 1st Award for Excellence in Innovation at Research Conversazione, University of Sydney.

2011   Australian & New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society Travel Award.

2011   Finalist of Engineering Award Australia.

2010   Sydnovate 1st Award for Excellence in Innovation at Research Conversazione, University of Sydney.

2010   Australian & New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society Travel Award.

2010   Best Postgraduate Poster Presentation Award in the field of Biomedical Engineering, University of Sydney.

2010   Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Postgraduate Research Scholarship, University of Sydney.

2006   Received an award (1,500 US$) as a fulfilment grant for master’s degree Project and research and innovation in the field of nanotechnology from Iranian Nanotechnology Initiative.

2001   Talented Bachelor Student, Isfahan University of Technology.

  • Australia and New Zealand Orthopedic Research Society (ANZORS)
  • Australasian Society for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (ASBTE)
  • Australian Centre for NanoMedicine (ACN)
  • International Federation of Musculoskeletal Research Societies (IFMRS)

Editorial

  • 2018 Guess editor, Special Issue of “Additive manufacturing, and Biofabrication of Tissue Engineering Scaffolds”, Journal of Materials.
  • 2018 Editorial board member of Journal of Biomedical Glasses.
  • 2017 Guess editor, Journal of Functional Biomaterials, Special issue of “Recent Advances in Bioceramics”.
  • 2017 Editorial Board member of the Journal of “Biomaterials and Medical Applications”.
  • 2015-2016 Honorary young investigator board member of journal of “Tissue Engineering”.

 

My Research Supervision

1

  • Bone-ink is the first printable bone bioactive material in aqueous media with high-fidelity printing ability in my group. The “bone-ink”, in the form of a ready-to-use and mouldable paste with long shelf-life which can be 3D printed to construct porous structures in aqueous media without using high temperature or radiation. The bone-ink is biocompatible, mimics the bone extracellular matrix and can be combined with sensitive biomolecules and cells without impairment of their biological activity. Due to its optimised viscoelastic property, bone-ink can be utilised to simply fill in the bone defects via minimally invasive procedures or obtain patient specific bone grafts by a conventional 3D printer. Bone-ink can also be mixed with aqueous components, for e.g. drugs or growth factors or autologous biological fluids (blood or bone marrow aspirate).

b

  • The main challenges in hindering successful use of ceramic scaffolds in repair of large bone defects remain to be poor (and unpredictable) adsorption and retention of bioactive molecules (osteoinductive or angiogenic)  by scaffolds that leads to its rapid clearance from defect site thus requiring supera-physiological (at least a few mg) doses that raises concern regarding cancer risk and ectopic bone formation. The other issue is related to short half-life of those molecules in vivo, in which results in an unexpected low bone regeneration outcome. We have developed a technique in which enables us to immobilise the bioactive molecules to the ceramic surface without impairment of their biological activity and sustainable release to the defect site.  

B

  • The bone microenvironment is fertile ground for tumour growth.The cooperation between tumour and osteoclasts forms the vicious cycle of bone metastasis.Bone is a favourable microenvironment for tumour growth and a frequent destination for metastatic cancer cells. Bone metastases are predominant in advanced breast (70%), prostate (70%), thyroid (60%), lung (35%), and kidney cancer (22%). We are working on development of novel nanocarriers to address diseases related to musculoskeletal system.

k

  • Ideally, scaffolds should be biocompatible, degradable, mechanically strong (with comparable mechanical properties to bone tissue) and be able to provide enough interconnected pore space (porosity) for tissue in-growth. The major bottleneck in development of load bearing bone scaffolds is the insufficient mechanical strength at high porosity that is essential for tissue in-growth. Generally, scaffolds fail in-vivo because they undergo substantial dynamic and complex forces during surgery and post-implantation that results in implant instability and termination of healing process.  Currently, there are no degradable and load bearing scaffolds available for orthopaedical applications with the majority of  bone substitutes are in the form of granules, powders or putties with the limitation of use only for treatment of small defects.  We utilise computational modelling and additive manufacturing techniques to develop and design modular scaffolds to be applied in load bearing scenarios without using metallic components that are inert and do not integrate or have slow integration behaviour.

i

  • We are interested to understand and decode the interaction between synthetic materials as the pillar of regenerative triangle (biomaterials, cells, bioactive factors) and cells involved in healing process of body tissues to develop novel biomaterials. We explore the effect of chemical, mechanical and physical cues from nano to microscale, from synthetic materials on behaviour and biological functions of cells.

 

My Teaching

Course Coordinator:

  • Nanomaterials in Medicine (AMME5931), University of Sydney 2016-2017.

Lecturer

  • Tissue Engineering (AMME4971), Guess lecturer, University of Sydney.
  • Nanomaterials in Medicine (AMME5931), Guess lecturer, University of Sydney.
  • Nanotechnology 1 (NANO1001), Guess lecturer, University of New South Wales.
  • Nanotechnology 2 (NANO2002), Guess lecturer. University of New South Wales.