Dr. Lindemberg M. Silveira Filho, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery of School of Medical Sciences (SMS) of University of Campinas (Unicamp) has worked since August 2017 at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine of University of Pittsburgh (http://www.mirm.pitt.edu/) and at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. The institute is devoted to multidisciplinary research on different forms of tissue regeneration and development of new technologies and medical devices. Dr. Lindemberg has worked for a 2-year post-doctoral period in the lab led by Dr. William Wagner, PhD, who works with different forms of biomaterials and material production, like different polymers such as PEUU and PECUU, associated or not to extracellular matrix. This experimental line of treatment has many different cardiovascular applications, for example, a “patch” to enhance heart tissue recovery after an injury and the development of totally biocompatible biodegradable heart valves.

These applications, although currently in experimental level, with in vitro and in vivo studies, carry important translational goals. The possibility of a biomaterial “patch” that effectively induces heart regeneration or remodeling, with or without the association of implanted cells, may bring an important advance for future heart treatments. The development of a real total biodegradable valve may have a significant impact in the need for re-do heart surgeries, especially in children and young patients, who frequently, with current technology, demand many surgeries throughout their lives.

“This experience has enabled my development in an associated field and the opportunity to work with bioengineers and other medical doctors with different backgrounds. Being in a multidisciplinary team has been one of the best experiences of my stay and has enabled me to understand scientific challenges and different disciplinary approaches to solve problems in medicine, something mandatory nowadays. I emphasize also differences between Brazilian and American universities, with the latter being much more oriented to development of innovation and much better integrated to industry and translation of ideas into reality”, said Dr. Lindemberg.

Obviously, the post-doc experience has a lot to do with being able to translate at least part of what he has seen and learnt to Brazilian reality and enhance his own scientific projects in Brazil. With grants from FAPESP for his period in the USA, the intention is to start a well-developed project with heart regeneration through application of biomaterials at SMS - Unicamp. The core of this Brazilian project has started already in cooperation with researchers from University of Sorocaba, granted partially by CNPq. Possible cooperation with researchers from the University of Pittsburgh is yet to be planned.

Dr. Lindemberg also emphasizes “the great opportunity for my family to live in a different culture, for my children to learn how to deal with problems not common in Brazil and of course the possibility of actually learning English from the inside”.