Riccardo L. Gottardi

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Riccardo L. Gottardi, PhD

Assistant Professor

Dr. Gottardi leads the Bioengineering and Biomaterials (Bio²) lab, collaborating on clinical and research efforts to offer engineering solutions for pediatric health, primarily treatments for airway disorders. Dr. Gottardi researches mechanisms of laryngotracheal pathologies, applies tissue engineering to improve pediatric conditions, develops new devices, and formulates controlled drug delivery systems to treat and improve patients’ lives.

Gottardi Lab

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Bio

Dr. Riccardo Gottardi graduated in 2003 in Applied Physics at the University of Pisa and obtained his PhD in 2007 from the University of Genova (Italy) working on a collaborative project with the Biozentrum of the University Basel (Switzerland, Prof. Ueli Aebi) on atomic force microscopy-based multiscale early diagnosis of osteoarthritis in knee articular cartilage.

In 2011 he moved to the University of Pittsburgh thanks to a fellowship from the Ri.MED Foundation to work in the Center for Cellular and Molecular Engineering of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery with Dr. Rocky S. Tuan, and in the Little Laboratories of the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering with Dr. Steven R. Little. His research focused on tissue engineering/regenerative medicine of cartilage and joint soft tissues and on the application of nanotechnology to drug delivery and cellular guidance for tissue repair.

In 2017 he became research assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery of the University of Pittsburgh, where he developed innovative synthetic tissue models to study tissue cross talks in health and disease. He was recognized by the Foundation for Women’s Wellness for his research on hormones and osteoarthritis, he led a research effort to study bone loss taking advantage of the unique microgravity environment on the International Space Station, and developed a research program in regenerative rehabilitation, using rehabilitation regimens to mechanobiologically activate and guide joint tissue repair.

Since January 2019, Dr. Gottardi has lead Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Bioengineering and Biomaterials laboratory, the first pediatric lab of its kind initiated through the Frontiers Programs. While collaborating on tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery across CHOP, the lab is especially focused on engineering solutions for airway disorders, on biomaterials for laryngotracheal cartilage engineering, and on approaches to prevent and repair damage to the vocal folds.