In my group, by inspiring from the nature, we are conducting interdisciplinary research in the realm of development of functional hybrid bio-inspired materials using silk fibroin (SF) biopolymer extracted from B. Mori cocoon. 

Dr. Maleki's group focuses on the rational design of self-assembled and sol-gel derived bio-inspired hybrid smart nanomaterials as a theragenerative systems (combination of therapy and regeneration) with improved biomimetic microstructure, mechanical, self-healing and shape morphing properties for minimally invasive bone cancer therapy and bone regeneration and drug delivery purposes.
In our research we are specifically interested in designing biomaterials (hydrogels, and aerogels) with smart multifunctional properties through hybridization of self-assembled biopolymer with various surface engineered nanoparticles through the most advanced state-of-the-art synthesis and fabrication techniques like 3D printing and microfluidic systems.
With this advanced synthetic biomaterials, we would like to understand how the biomaterials-cell interactions can be regulated in order to enhance the cells osteoconductivity, osteoinductivity while also endowing anti-tumoral or anti-bacterial functionalities. 

Our group is also associated to the Center of Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), which would enable us to check the range of in vitro cell based studies on synthesized biomaterials. 

In addition, we have also demonstrated that our biomaterials functions for other health care applications like as wearable pressure and strain sensing as well as for some non-biomedical direction namely in thermal insulation, environmental and energy conversion fields e.g. in catalytic water splitting for generation of H2 gas.