A series of advances from Italian laboratories is highlighting the country’s growing role in biomedical innovation, with new research ranging from bioengineered muscles for prosthetic limbs to multifunctional nanoparticles and an experimental strategy against chronic hepatitis B.
One breakthrough brings regenerative medicine and robotics together. Researchers from the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, the INAIL Prosthetic Center, the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute and the Italian Institute of Technology have developed an engineered “neo-muscle” designed to improve communication between a person’s remaining nervous system and an artificial limb.
