DECODE will focus on the training of young scientists on the use of drug-eluting devices to combat the burden of peripheral artery disease (PAD). DECODE will provide young researchers with excellent scientific, technological and complementary skills through a multidisciplinary training programme having as an outmost scientific aim the development, optimization, and assessment of a drug eluting balloon system for the improved treatment of PAD. The aim of DECODE is twofold: a) to enhance the competitiveness and research careers of young researchers at European level as after the completion of the programme they will be able to face current and future challenges on the domain of biomedical engineering, b) to convert knowledge, ideas and expertise from both the academic and non-academic sectors into a novel product which will improve the monitoring and treatment of patients suffering from PAD and their quality of life, providing thus a significant economic and social benefit.

The musculoskeletal system is extremely vulnerable to ageing and traumatic events, and common clinical conditions often exert a high burden on the clinical system. For patients requiring bone-substitute implants to treat critical-size bone defects, new solutions are required for meeting important unmet needs: personalised solutions for better clinical outcomes; improvements in materials to ensure higher mechanical reliability without compromising bioactive and bioresorbable properties; optimised manufacturing technologies for materials and products of high reliability and quality. REBONE is a four-year doctoral network that aims to innovatively train a new generation of researchers to develop a multidisciplinary optimisation process to provide technologies for 3D-printed personalised bone replacement implants based on bioactive ceramics. The ultimate scientific goal is to construct a platform of computational tools that will enable clinical experts to produce customized bone graft substitutes for the treatment of critical-size bone defects. This innovation will ensure that an ideal treatment solution is found on a patient-specific basis in terms of: i) mechanical and mechano-biological performance, ii) surgical implantability, and iii) manufacturing process reliability. Furthermore REBONE will develop state-of-the-art in silico models based on advanced computational methods and advanced characterisation and validation techniques to obtain personalised implants with a surgical planning visualization system in mixed reality with the following characteristics: i) tailored and reliable mechanical and physical properties; ii) best osteointegration capability; iii) targeted mechanical, physical and mechano-biological functions with patient-specific constraints taking into account the load-bearing anatomical location. Four selected clinical cases will be used as demonstrators of the optimization design and manufacturing process.