Where Chemistry, Physics, and Biology Meet – New Insights into Biomedical Research
On the 16th of June 2026, a scientific seminar entitled "Where Chemistry, Physics and Biology Meet: New Insights into Biomedical Research ” was held in Lecture Hall A of the Centre for New Technologies of the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice. The event was organized by Dr Hab. Eng. Małgorzata Włodarczyk-Biegun, Prof. SUT, and the Biotechnology Centre of the Silesian University of Technology.
The seminar was an opportunity to meet representatives of various fields of science – chemistry, physics, biology and biomedical engineering – and to exchange experiences in the area of modern technologies used, among others, in regenerative medicine, such as 3D bioprinting.
The special guest of the event was Prof. Michael Gelinsky, head of the Centre for Translational Bone, Joint and Soft Tissue Research at the Medical Faculty of the Technical University of Dresden, a world-class expert in the field of biomaterials, 3D printing and bioprinting. During the seminar, he delivered a lecture entitled "Combining Materials, Technologies and Cell Types for Complex Tissue Models," in which he emphasized the importance of combining different materials, technologies and cell types in creating advanced tissue models.
– Mammalian tissues have a complex, multi-level structure and consist of many cell types, which makes their reproduction using only one material, one cell type or a single tissue scaffold difficult, and often even impossible. However, additive manufacturing technologies create the possibility of constructing artificial tissues using many types of cells in combination with appropriately optimized biomaterials, - said Prof. Michael Gelinsky, whose research focuses primarily on hard tissues such as bones, but also on the areas where they connect – for example, at the junctions between bone and cartilage or bone and tendons.
The scientific team of the Biotechnology Centre of the Silesian University of Technology, under the supervision of Prof. Małgorzata Włodarczyk-Biegun conducts joint research with the team of Prof. Gelinsky as part of the OPUS grant, which focuses on the reconstruction of tissue connections.
– We use various 3D printing technologies and 3D bioprinting, i.e. printing using living cells. In our research, we create advanced gradient materials that change the geometric, chemical, and biological properties within these mini-implants – explained Dr Hab. Eng. Małgorzata Włodarczyk-Biegun, Prof. SUT. – At the Biotechnology Centre, we have an innovative bioprinting laboratory with various types of printers that enable us to conduct processes both with and without the use of cells, using various techniques, which in turn translates into a variety of possible applications for the solutions we develop – she added.
As emphasized by Prof. Gelinsky, the dynamic development of bioprinting technology and the increasing availability of new materials are opening up completely new possibilities in the field of tissue engineering. The professor emphasized that cooperation with the team of Prof. Włodarczyk is very inspiring to him.
The seminar was also attended by Dr Anja Lode, head of the “Bioprinting” research group at TFO TU Dresden, who has many years of experience in researching interactions between cells and biomaterials. Dr Lode gave a lecture: “Calcium phosphate cements: Development steps on
the way to patient-specific implants that stimulate bone regeneration.”
The seminar “Where Chemistry, Physics and Biology Meet” showed that the development of future medicine requires close cooperation between various fields of science. The integration of knowledge in the fields of chemistry, physics and biology, supported by modern technologies such as 3D bioprinting, opens up new possibilities in the treatment of tissue damage and the design of personalized implants.
