Jose Luis Gerardo Nava

Dr. Jose Luis Gerardo Nava is a biomedical engineer and researcher at RWTH Aachen University, specializing in biomaterial development and tissue engineering applications for nervous system repair. He coordinates the S1 Cell Culture Lab and focuses on understanding cell-tissue interactions with synthetic biomaterials, particularly for neuromuscular diseases and spinal cord injuries. His work is part of collaborative projects including ReWIRE, Mend the Gap, Anisogel, and PeriGO.

• Key Research Areas: Biomaterial-cell interactions, in vitro disease modeling, anisotropic scaffolds, neuromuscular regeneration, glial scarring modulation
• Active Projects:
  • Rapid Prototyped Microfluidic Systems for Angiogenic Growth Factor Delivery
  • ReWIRE: Combinatorial Spinal Cord Rewiring Therapy
  • Mend the Gap: Spinal Cord Repair Platform
  • Anisogel: Injectable Anisotropic Hydrogels for Nerve Regeneration
  • PeriGO: Gel-Based Peripheral Nerve Orientation Repair

His recent publications (2019–2025) highlight advancements in:

• Neurite alignment via nanotopography
• Anisotropic hydrogel design for nerve growth
• 3D bioprinting-tissue integration
• Multi-growth factor vascularization strategies
• Biomimetic microgel orientation modeling
• Collagen scaffold integration barriers in SCI

Current collaborations span institutions like Biomedical Materials, Advanced Healthcare Materials, and Polymer Chemistry research teams.