Association for the Advancement of Tissue Engineering and Cell Based Technologies & Therapies (A4Tec), created in 2007, is a non-profit scientific association whose mission is to promote the scientific and technological advancement of Human Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, the education of technical and scientific staff in the fields of Biomedicine and the dissemination of scientific research to the scientific community and civil society.

A4TEC was created and is constituted by researchers and graduated students who develop scientific, clinical or technical activities in the area of ​​Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, mainly at 3B’s Research Group (University of Minho). All members of A4TEC must be proposed and accepted as members of the Association in accordance with their respective statutes.

As part of its mission, A4TEC has the following priority areas of intervention:

• To promote scientific research in the area of ​​Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, including the resulting Therapies and Technologies, nationally and internationally;
• To carry out scientific and technological research actions, of an experimental and theoretical nature, in the fields of Tissue Science and Engineering;
• To promote and coordinate national and international research projects;
• To provide technical and scientific services to the community;
• To promote the protection and support of Industrial Property management generated in its projects and eventually also in other projects / activities in which it participates;
• To stimulate scientific exchange with other national and foreign structures linked to research;
• To develop interdisciplinary research by carrying out collaborative projects with other research units;
• To provide and encourage training at the highest level for young people who want to start a scientific career;
• To promote the organization of international conferences, practical courses and workshops aimed at disseminating, exchanging experiences and also advanced training in the areas of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.

A4TEC’s target areas of research are Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine, supported with basic and applied research in the area of ​​materials science and technology, stem cells and biology / biotechnology, namely:

• Development, characterization and processing of a wide range of polymer-based materials, especially macromolecules of natural origin, suitable for different biomedical applications;
• Development of in vivo protocols to characterize the biological and immunological behaviour of new biomaterials, as well as new methodologies for cell cultures (including co-culture models or design of new bio-reactors based) and;
• Development and optimization of methods for the collection, isolation and proliferation / differentiation of stem cells from different sources (bone marrow, adipose tissue, amniotic fluid / membrane, umbilical cord, and embryonic).

A4TEC also develops a wide range of Industrial Property (IP) protection activities in the areas of Life Sciences and Materials. In addition to protection, A4TEC coordinates the efforts towards the commercialization of various medical technologies, both by supporting entrepreneurial initiatives promoted by fellow researchers, and by licensing IP to start-ups, SMEs and large companies. With regard to interaction with the business community, A4TEC promotes R&D and consultancy services that respond to the needs of a wide range of national and international customers.

Physical and Human Resources

A4TEC has participated in several relevant projects over the years, and has been consolidating its park of its own scientific equipment, namely for experimentation and laboratorial analysis. Among its main equipment, the following stand out:

• X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
• In-vivo x-ray computed microtomography
• Mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF)
• Scanning electron microscope (SEM)
• Atomic Force Microscopy
• Confocal microscopy
• DOPPLER infusion system
• Thin-film X-ray diffraction (TF-XRD)
• Inverted microscope
• Bioplotter
• Gel permeation chromatography (GPC)
• Isothermal titration calorimeter
• Cryogenic system
• Tensometer
• Surface plasmon resonance (SPR)
• Liquid Scintillation Analyzer
• Rotary atomic microtome
• Hypoxia Integrated Culture System
• Lyophilization
• Thermogravimetric Analysis

Currently, A4TEC is a partner of the project to create a new infrastructure of scientific excellence in the area of ​​regenerative and precision medicine – TERM RES-Hub. This very relevant investment will allow A4TEC to strengthen its staff with human resources highly qualified (researchers and technicians), as well as acquiring new scientific equipment of high interest to the scientific and business community, namely the ecosystem in which it operates, focused on the development of research in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (TERM), Nanomedicine, Biomedical Engineering and Biomaterial Sciences. This scientific infrastructure is currently the largest in the National Roadmap (PT) for strategic scientific infrastructures. A4TEC is also involved with 3B´s Group at UMinho, the European Institute of Excellence for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (EXPERTISSUES) and the Guimarães City Council in the launch of the “Cidade de Guimarães Institute of Advanced Biomedical Materials”, already based at AvePark.