María Vallet-Regí facts for kids

Vallet-Regí in 2017

María Vallet-Regí is a famous Spanish scientist. She was born on April 19, 1946. She is an expert in inorganic chemistry, which is a type of chemistry that studies materials that don't come from living things. She leads a special research team called the Smart Biomaterials group at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain.

Early Life and Education

María Vallet-Regí grew up in Las Palmas, Spain. She loved studying chemistry and went to the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She earned her Ph.D. (a very high degree in science) there in 1974.

Her Amazing Career

María Vallet-Regí became a full professor of inorganic chemistry. This means she was a top teacher and researcher. She led the Smart Biomaterials group in the Department of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry at her university. This group works on creating new materials that can be used in the human body.

Professor Vallet-Regí has written more than 600 articles for science journals and several books. She was one of the most-cited Spanish scientists in the field of Materials Science for many years. This means many other scientists read and used her work in their own research.

What She Researches

Professor Vallet-Regí's team focuses on creating amazing new materials for medicine. Here are some of their main research areas:

• Bone Repair Materials: They create special materials, like bioceramics, to help fix bones. These materials can be used as bone grafts or as scaffolds (frameworks) to help new bone grow. This is super important for people who have broken bones or need new bone tissue.
• Medicine Delivery Systems: They work on making tiny systems that can release medicines slowly and exactly where they are needed in the body. This includes special materials that can deliver anti-cancer drugs or other important biological substances.
• Tiny Particles for Health: They study very small particles called nanoparticles and other materials that are safe to use inside the body. These are used for different health applications.
• Porous Materials for Medicine: They use materials made of silica (like sand) that have tiny holes. These materials can hold medicines and release them, or even protect living cells. They also explore using these materials for gene therapy, which helps fix problems with genes.

Awards and Special Honors

María Vallet-Regí has received many important awards and honors for her work.

• She is a Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering. This means she is recognized as a top expert in materials used in the body.
• She is also a special member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy. These are very respected groups of scientists and engineers.

Some of her awards include:

• The Prix Franco-Espagnol 2000 from the French Chemical Society.
• The Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry (RSEQ) award in Inorganic Chemistry in 2008.
• The Spanish National Research Award in Engineering in 2008.
• The FEIQUE Research award in 2011.
• The RSEQ Research Award and Gold Medal in 2011.

These awards show how much her work has helped science and medicine!

See also

In Spanish: María Vallet Regí para niños