Polysaccharides and biomaterials (Prof. Donati)

Research Strand:

Biomaterials and tissue engineering (Biomedicine)

Edificio Q, primo piano, stanza 113
Tel: +39 040 558 8733
Email: idonati@units.it

Biosketch

Ivan Donati is Associate Professor in Biochemistry at the University of Trieste since 2018. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a PhD in Biological Chemistry from the University of Trieste. He has been a Post doc at the Institute of Biotechnology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim (Norway). He has been Assistant Professor in Biochemistry at the University of Trieste since 2012.

He has been coordinator and principal investigator of European and trans-border (INTERREG) projects.

Awarded with national prize “young researcher 2008” from CIB (Consorzio Interuniversitario di Biotecnologie).

Dr. Donati has authored more than 100 papers published in international scientific journals and 9 book chapters. In addition, he is co-inventor of 8 patents. He is one of the co-founders of the university spin-off Biopolife S.r.L.

Info

Research

The research laboratory coordinated by prof. Ivan Donati is focused on various aspects of biomaterials science, from conception of novel solutions to lab-scale manufacturing and characterization of materials and devices for biomedical applications. In particular, the research activities involve the use of natural polymers and their combinations/mixtures to design biomaterials with novel applications in tissue engineering.

The research activities are at cross-borders between chemistry, engineering and biotechnology and the team has a multidisciplinary approach focused on research and development of biomaterials and biopolymers. The research group is involved in the characterization of natural and chemically modified polysaccharides, in the development of nanostructures and nanocomposite biomaterials.

Specific research interests:

1) Chemical, physical-chemical and biological characterization of natural polysaccharide

2) Novel polysaccharides for applications in the biomedical, nutraceutical and cosmetic field

Chemical and chemoenzymatic approaches are used to produce novel polysaccharide derivatives with specific physical-chemical and biological properties for selected applications. Specific focus is addressed to the chemical, physical-chemical and biological characterization of the novel derivatives and the industrial scalability of their production.

3) Polysaccharide-based hydrogels

Biocompatible hydrogels are produced starting from natural and modified polysaccharides for their use in the biomedical field, in particular in osteoarticular, dental and cutaneous applications. Specific focus is addressed to the production of covalent, transient and mixed hydrogels with viscoelastic properties mimicking those of the extracellular matrix.

4) Interaction of hydrogels and polysaccharides with cells

Within this research activity, specific focus is addressed to the development of biomaterials with different mechanical and viscoelastic properties able to orient cell processes such as adhesion and spreading and to influence cell-fate. The final target is the understanding of the interaction between materials and cells mediated by the mechanical properties of the former using the methods of mechanobiology.

People

Researchers

Pasquale Sacco

Associate Professor of Biochemistry (BIO/10)

Edificio Q, primo piano, stanza 113
Tel: +39 040 558 8733
Email: psacco@units.it

Google scholar
Scopus

From October 2025, I am an Associate Professor of Biochemistry at the Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste. From 2022 to 2025 I was an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry. From 2020 to 2022 I was a PostDoctoral Fellow at AREA Science Park (Trieste, Italy). From 2016 to 2020 I was a PostDoctoral Fellow at the University of Trieste. In 2015, I was a Visiting Scientist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, (Trondheim, Norway).

My research interests include the study/characterization of oligo-/polysaccharides and carbohydrate-based biomaterials at different scales and forms in relation to areas such as tissue engineering, mechanobiology and enzyme activity.

Since 2014, I have published more than 50 full research articles in leading peer-reviewed international journals related to the development, characterization and application of biomaterials in the biomedical field, including Advanced Functional Materials, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Carbohydrate Polymers, Acta Biomaterialia and Biomacromolecules. Of the published articles, I am First Author in 21/51 (41%), Corresponding Author in 29/51 (57%) and Last Author in 7/51 (17%). I also filed 1 patent. The complete list of my research papers can be found here.

My h-index is 22 (Source: Scopus, October 2025).

The overall results of my research have been recognized by national and international awards, including the "Julia Polak European Doctorate Awards", awarded by the Council of the European Society of Biomaterials in September 2017, the Young Investigator Award "Benito Casu", awarded by the Italian Society of Chemistry in June 2018 and the "Leonardo da Vinci" medal, awarded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) in April 2019.

I am involved in both national and EU projects. To date, I have established several national and European collaborations. The results of these collaborations have led to various publications to date. I have served as a Guest Editor for the special issue "Polymers towards Mechanobiology" in the journal Polymers (MDPI). I serve also as Reviewer for several international journals, including Nature Communications, Advanced Science, Carbohydrate Polymers, Biomacromolecules, to name a few. I am very active in disseminating research findings at national/international conferences, schools, meetings and public engagement events.

Professors of other departments

Prof. Eleonora Marsich, Associate professor (SSD MED/50) at the Clinical University Department of Medical, Chirugical and Health Sciences

Postdocs

Dr. Francesca Scognamiglio

PhD students

Dr. Chiara Pizzolitto

Dr. Francesco Piazza

Cok Michela (Research Group - Member)

Prof. Donati Ivan (Research Group - Member)
idonati@units.it

Publications

Full list of publications of the Principal Investigator

Google Scholar
ORCID
Scopus

Highly cited DSV papers

2018
2016
2014
2013
2011

Selected papers

Sacco, P.; Baj, G.; Asaro, F.; Marsich, E.; Donati, I.; Substrate Dissipation Energy Regulates Cell Adhesion and Spreading; Adv. Funct. Mater.; 2020; 30; 2001977.
Cok, M.; Viola, M.; Vecchies, F.; Sacco, P.; Furlani, F.; Marsich, E.; Donati, I.; N-isopropyl chitosan. A pH- and thermo-responsive polysaccharide for gel formation. Carbohydr. Polym.; 2020; 230; 115641.
Furlani, F.; Sacco, P.; Cok, M.; de Marzo, G.; Marsich, E.; Paoletti, S.; Donati, I.; Biomimetic, Multi-Responsive and Self-healing lactose-modified Chitosan (CTL)-based Gels formed via Competitor-assisted Mechanism; ACS Biomater. Sci. Eng.; 2019; 5; 5539-5547.
Sacco, P.; Furlani, F.; Paoletti, S.; Donati, I.; pH-Assisted Gelation of Lactose-Modified Chitosan (CTL); Biomacromolecules; 2019; 20; 3070-3075.
Furlani, F.; Sacco, P.; Decleva, E.; Menegazzi, R.; Donati, I.; Paoletti, S.; Marsich E.; Chitosan acetylation degree influences the physical properties of polysaccharide nanoparticles: implication for the innate immune cells response; ACS Appl. Mater. Inter.; 2019; 11; 9794-9803.
Furlani, F.; Sacco, P.; Scognamiglio, F.; Asaro, F.; Travan, A.; Borgogna, M.; Marsich, E.; Cok, M.; Paoletti, S.; Donati, I.; Nucleation, reorganization and disassembly of an active network from lactose-modified chitosan mimicking biological matrices; Carbohydr. Polym.; 2019; 208; 451-456.
Sacco, P.; Brun, F.; Donati, I.; Porrelli, D.; Paoletti, S.; Turco, G.; On the correlation between the microscopic structure and properties of phosphate-cross-linked chitosan gels; ACS Appl. Mater. Inter.; 2018; 10(13); 10761-10770.
Porrelli, D.; Cok, M.; Abrami, M.; Bosi, S.; Prato, M.; Grassi, M.; Paoletti, S.; Donati, I.; Evaluation of concentration and dispersion of functionalized carbon nanotubes in aqueous media by means of low field nuclear magnetic resonance; Carbon; 2017; 113; 387-394.
Sacco, P.; Borgogna, M.; Travan, A.; Marsich, E.; Paoletti, S.; Asaro, F.; Grassi, M.; Donati, I.; Polysaccharide-based networks from homogeneous chitosan-tripolyphosphate hydrogels: Synthesis and characterization; Biomacromolecules; 2014; 15; 3396-3405.
Diolosà, M.; Donati, I.; Turco, G.; Cadenaro, M.; Di Lenarda, R.; Breschi, L.; Paoletti, S.; Use of methacrylate-modified chitosan to increase the durability of dentine bonding systems; Biomacromolecules; 2014; 15; 4606-4613.

Last update: 10-07-2025 - 18:01

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