Topic: Structure-Function Relationships in Bone across Scales: From Mineralization to Disease and Healing

Lecturer: Prof. Wolfgang Wagermaier, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces

Time: May 8, 2026, 10:00 - 11:30, UTC+8

Venue: Ten-floor Meeting Room, Yifu Building

Biography: Dr. Wolfgang Wagermaier is a materials scientist and guest scientist at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany, where he previously led the research group “Hierarchical Structure of Biological and Bio-inspired Materials” for more than ten years. He studied Materials Science at the University of Leoben, Austria, and received his PhD on synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies of bone structure and deformation. His research focuses on multiscale characterization and structure-function relationships in biomineralized, bio-inspired and complex synthetic materials. He is also founder and CEO of a science-based company for advanced materials characterization.

Abstract: Bone is a hierarchically structured hybrid material whose properties emerge from interactions across multiple length scales, from mineralized collagen fibrils to cellular networks and tissue architecture. Central questions concern how hierarchical structuring, mineralization processes, osteocyte-associated networks and local heterogeneity govern different functions in healthy, healing and diseased bone. This presentation discusses selected examples addressing these questions in bone and related biomineralized tissues, with particular emphasis on mineralization, bone quality, fracture healing and disease-related structural alterations. Synchrotron X-ray scattering, combined with microscopy, tomography and mechanical testing, provides a multiscale view of these processes and helps reveal dynamic aspects of mineralized tissues that remain inaccessible to static observations alone. A brief comparison with synthetic porous materials highlights the broader applicability of these approaches.

Rewritten by: Li Huihui

Edited by: Li Tiantian

Source: Institute of New Materials