Dr Alex Cavallaro

Instrument Engineer Future Industries Institute

Mawson Lakes Campus (X2-03)
tel +61 8 830 23472

email Alex-Anthony.Cavallaro@unisa.edu.au

Research Degree Supervisor

About me

Antimicrobial Surface Coatings
Biomaterials
Controlled\Targeted Drug Release Systems
Nanotoxicology
Porous Structures and Surface Coatings

Dr Alex Cavallaro completed his Bachelor of Biotechnology (Honours) at Flinders University in 2010 focusing on the relative genotoxic and cytotoxic potential associated with exposure to synthetic nanoparticles. He later completed his PhD with the aim to apply plasma deposited polymeric thin films for antibacterial applications within the School of Engineering, University of South Australia. He previously held a research assistant role at the Mawson Institute focusing on controlled and targeted drug release systems. Recently, he has been developing template-free mesoporous polymer structures for biomedical imaging and cancer treatment. Alex’s main research focus is in the development of biomedical devices and materials, and... Read more

Future Industries Institute

The Institute partners with today’s industries, to create the industries of tomorrow.

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Research

Research focus

Chemical Sciences
Engineering
Materials Engineering
Biological Sciences
Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry

Highlights

Biomaterial Surface Modification and Analysis
Cell and Novel Material Interactions: Immunolgoical Responses and Nanotoxicology
Controlled and Targeted Drug Release Systems
Microbiological\Surface Interactions: Antimicrobial Surface Coatings and Biointerfaces
Porous Coatings for Biomedical Imaging

Research

Outputs

Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. To see earlier years visit ORCID, ResearcherID or Scopus

Open access indicates that an output is open access.

Journal Articles

Year	Output
2022	González García, LE, MacGregor, M, Cavallaro, A, Koynov, K & Vasilev, K 2022, 'Plasma polymer barrier layers to control the release kinetics from dissolvable microneedle patches', Plasma Processes and Polymers, online, pp. 1-8.
2022	Raj Adhikari, B, Bērziņš, K, Fraser-Miller, SJ, Cavallaro, A, Gordon, KC & Das, SC 2022, 'Optimization of methionine in inhalable high-dose spray-dried amorphous composite particles using response surface method, infrared and low frequency Raman spectroscopy', International Journal of Pharmaceutics, vol. 614, article no. 121446, pp. 1-13. 1 1
2022	Rudd, S, Mahjoub, R, Switalska, E, Bassell, C, Schmerl, N, Cavallaro, A-A, Stanford, N & Evans, DR 2022, 'Surface doping in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-based nanoscale films: insights for polymer electronics', ACS Nano, online, pp. 1-11. 4
2021	Bhujbal, S V, Su, Y, Pathak, V, Zemlyanov, DY, Cavallaro, AA, Munson, EJ, Taylor, LS & Zhou, Q 2021, 'Effect of storage humidity on physical stability of spray-dried naproxen amorphous solid dispersions with polyvinylpyrrolidone: two fluid nozzle vs. three fluid nozzle', Pharmaceutics, vol. 13, no. 7, pp. 1-15. Open access
2021	Kumarasinghe, LS, Ninan, N, Dabare, PRL, Cavallaro, A, Doğramacı, EJ, Rossi-Fedele, G, Dreyer, C, Vasilev, K & Zilm, P 2021, 'Bioactive plasma coatings on orthodontic brackets: In vitro metal ion release and cytotoxicity', Coatings, vol. 11, no. 7, article no. 857, pp. 1-11. Open access 1 4
2020	Chan, KM, Amoura, C, Whiteley, A, Rouget, J, Safizadeh Shirazi, H, Cavallaro, A, Vasilev, K & MacGregor, M 2020, 'Functional nanothin films plasma-deposited from 2-isopropenyl-2-oxazoline for biosensor applications', BioInterphases: An Open Access Journal for the Biomaterials Interface Community, vol. 15, no. 5, article no. 051005, pp. 1-13. 5 5 4
2020	Elmas, S, Gedefaw, DA, Larsson, M, Ying, Y, Cavallaro, A, Andersson, GG, Nydén, M & Andersson, MR 2020, 'Porous PEI Coating for Copper Ion Storage and Its Controlled Electrochemical Release', Advanced Sustainable Systems, vol. 4, no. 3, article no. 1900123, pp. 1-9. 5 5
2020	Michl, TD, Tran, DTT, Böttle, K, Kuckling, HF, Zhalgasbaikyzy, A, Ivanovská, B, Cavallaro, AA, Araque Toledo, MA, Sherman, PJ, Al-Bataineh, SA & Vasilev, K 2020, 'To be a radical or not to be one? The fate of the stable nitroxide radical TEMPO [(2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl] undergoing plasma polymerization into thin-film coatings', BioInterphases: An Open Access Journal for the Biomaterials Interface Community, vol. 15, no. 3, article number 031015, pp. 15,031015-1-031015-10. Open access 3 3 1
2019	Al-Bataineh, SA, Cavallaro, AA, Michelmore, A, Macgregor, MN, Whittle, JD & Vasilev, K 2019, 'Deposition of 2-oxazoline-based plasma polymer coatings using atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet', Plasma Processes and Polymers, vol.. 16, no. 10, article no. e1900104, pp. 1-11. Open access 8 8 1
2019	Gonzalez Garcia, LE, MacGregor, MN, Visalakshan, RM, Ninan, N, Cavallaro, AA, Trinidad, AD, Zhao, Y, Hayball, AJD & Vasilev, K 2019, 'Self-sterilizing antibacterial silver-loaded microneedles', Chemical Communications, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 171-174. 33 35 56
2019	Ling, J, Mangal, S, Park, H, Wang, S, Cavallaro, A & Zhou, QT 2019, 'Simultaneous particle size reduction and homogeneous mixing to produce combinational powder formulations for inhalation by the single-step co-jet milling', Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, vol. 108, no. 9, pp. 3146-3151. Open access 5 5
2019	MacGregor, M, Sinha, U, Visalakshan, RM, Cavallaro, A & Vasilev, K 2019, 'Preserving the reactivity of coatings plasma deposited from oxazoline precursors − an in depth study', Plasma Processes and Polymers, vol. 16, no. 2, article no. e1800130, pp. 1-12. Open access 12 11
2019	Mangal, S, Park, H, Nour, R, Shetty, N, Cavallaro, A, Zemlyanov, D, Thalberg, K, Puri, V, Nicholas, M, Narang, AS & Zhou, Q 2019, 'Correlations between surface composition and aerosolization of jet-milled dry powder inhaler formulations with pharmaceutical lubricants', International Journal of Pharmaceutics, vol. 568, article no. 118504, pp. 1-10. Open access 23 20
2019	Rasi Ghaemi, S, Delalat, B, Cavallaro, A, Mierczynska-Vasilev, A, Vasilev, K & Voelcker, NH 2019, 'Differentiation of Rat Mesenchymal Stem Cells toward Osteogenic Lineage on Extracellular Matrix Protein Gradients', Advanced Healthcare Materials, article no. 1900595, pp. 1-11. 9 7 1
2019	Visalakshan, RM, Cavallaro, AA, MacGregor, MN, Lawrence, EP, Koynov, K, Hayball, JD & Vasilev, K 2019, 'Nanotopography-induced unfolding of fibrinogen modulates leukocyte binding and activation', Advanced Functional Materials, vol. 29, no. 14, article no.1807453, pp. 1-12. Open access 22 22 1
2018	Bhujbal, S V, Zemlyanov, DY, Cavallaro, A, Mangal, S, Taylor, LS & Zhou, QT 2018, 'Qualitative and quantitative characterization of composition heterogeneity on the surface of spray dried amorphous solid dispersion particles by an advanced surface analysis platform with high surface sensitivity and superior spatial resolution', Molecular Pharmaceutics, vol. 15, no. 5, pp. 2045-2053. Open access 20 20
2018	Eedara, BB, Rangnekar, B, Doyle, C, Cavallaro, A & Das, SC 2018, 'The influence of surface active L-leucine and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) in the improvement of aerosolization of pyrazinamide and moxifloxacin co-spray dried powders', International Journal of Pharmaceutics, vol. 542, no. 1-2, pp. 72-81. 31 30
2018	Eedara, BB, Rangnekar, B, Sinha, S, Doyle, C & Cavallaro, A 2018, 'Development and characterization of high payload combination dry powders of anti-tubercular drugs for treating pulmonary tuberculosis', European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, vol. 118, pp. 216-226. 20 19
2018	Mangal, S, Nie, H, Xu, R, Guo, R, Cavallaro, A, Zemlyanov, D & Zhou, Q 2018, 'Physico-chemical properties, aerosolization and dissolution of co-spray dried azithromycin particles with L-leucine for inhalation', Pharmaceutical Research, vol. 35, no. 2, article no. 28, pp. 1-15. Open access 48 43
2018	Shetty, N, Ahn, P, Park, H, Bhujbal, S, Zemlyanov, D, Cavallaro, A, Mangal, S, Li, J & Zhou, QT 2018, 'Improved physical stability and aerosolization of inhalable amorphous ciprofloxacin powder formulations by incorporating synergistic colistin', Molecular Pharmaceutics, vol. 15, no. 9, pp. 4004-4020. Open access 25 23
2018	Tücking, K-S, Vasani, RB, Cavallaro, AA, Voelcker, NH, Schönherr, H & Prieto-Simon, B 2018, 'Hyaluronic acid-modified porous silicon films for the electrochemical sensing of bacterial hyaluronidase', Macromolecular Rapid Communications, vol. 39, no. 19, article no. 1800178, pp. 1-7. 10 11
2018	Vasilev, K, Cavallaro, A & Zilm, P 2018, 'Special issue: antibacterial materials and coatings', Molecules, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 1-4. Open access 17 15
2018	Visalakshan, RM, MacGregor, MN, Cavallaro, AA, Sasidharan, S, Bachhuka, A, Mierczynska-Vasilev, AM, Hayball, JD & Vasilev, K 2018, 'Creating nano-engineered biomaterials with well-defined surface descriptors', ACS Applied Nano Materials, vol.1, no. 8, pp. 2796-2807. 24 23 2
2018	Wahono, SK, Cavallaro, A, Vasilev, K & Mierczynska, A 2018, 'Plasma polymer facilitated magnetic technology for removal of oils from contaminated waters', Environmental Pollution, vol. 240, pp. 725-732. 14 12
2018	Yu, J, Romeo, MC, Cavallaro, AA & Chan, HK 2018, 'Protective effect of sodium stearate on the moisture-induced deterioration of hygroscopic spray-dried powders', International Journal of Pharmaceutics, vol. 541, no. 1-2, pp. 11-18. Open access 16 17
2016	Alhmoud, H, Delalat, B, Ceto, X, Elnathan, R, Cavallaro, A, Vasilev, K & Voelcker, NH 2016, 'Antibacterial properties of silver dendrite decorated silicon nanowires', RSC Advances: An International Journal to Further the Chemical Sciences, vol. 6, no. 70, pp. 65976-65987. Open access 28 10
2016	Cavallaro, A, Mierczynska, A, Barton, M, Majewski, P & Vasilev, K 2016, 'Influence of immobilized quaternary ammonium group surface density on antimicrobial efficacy and cytotoxicity', Biofouling: The Journal of Bioadhesion and Biofilm Research, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 13-24. 38 35
2016	Cavallaro, AA, Macgregor-Ramiasa, MN & Vasilev, K 2016, 'Antibiofouling properties of plasma-deposited oxazoline-based thin films', ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, vol. 8, no. 10, pp. 6354-6362. Open access 56 54 1
2016	He, W, Elkhooly, TA, Liu, X, Cavallaro, A, Taheri, S, Vasilev, K & Feng, Q 2016, 'Silver nanoparticle based coatings enhance adipogenesis compared to osteogenesis in human mesenchymal stem cells through oxidative stress', Journal of Materials Chemistry B, vol. 4, pp. 1466-1479. 37 36
2016	Kafshgari, MH, Delalat, B, Harding, F, Cavallaro, A, Mäkilä, E, Salonen, J, Vasilev, K & Voelcker, N 2016, 'Antibacterial properties of nitric oxide-releasing porous silicon nanoparticles', Journal of Materials Chemistry B, vol. 4, pp. 2051-2058. 27 24
2016	Krismastuti, FSH, Cavallaro, A, Prieto-Simon, B & Voelcker, NH 2016, 'Toward multiplexing detection of wound healing biomarkers on porous silicon resonant microcavities', Advanced Science, vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 1-8. Open access 25 25
2016	Müller, S, Cavallaro, A, Vasilev, K, Voelcker, NH & Schönherr, H 2016, 'Temperature-controlled antimicrobial release from poly(diethylene glycol methylether methacrylate)-functionalized bottleneck-structured porous silicon for the inhibition of bacterial growth', Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, vol. 217, no. 20, pp. 2243-2251. 17 15 7
2016	Ostrikov, K, Macgregor-Ramiasa, MN, Cavallaro, AA, Jacob, M & Vasilev, K 2016, 'A comparative assessment of nanoparticulate and metallic silver coated dressings', Recent Patents on Materials Science, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 50-57. Open access 2
2015	Bachhuka, A, Christo, S, Cavallaro, A, Diener, K, Mierczynska, A, Smith, L, Marian, R, Manavis, J, Hayball, J & Vasilev, KA 2015, 'Hybrid core/shell microparticles and their use for understanding biological processes', Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, vol. 457, pp. 9-17. Open access 15 14 1
2015	Cavallaro, A & Vasilev, K 2015, 'Controlled and sustained release of pharmaceuticals via single step solvent-free encapsulation', Chemical Communications, vol. 51, no. 10, pp. 1838-1841. Open access 22 20
2015	Delalat, B, Mierczynska, A, Rasi Ghaemi, S, Cavallaro, A, Harding, FJ, Vasilev, K & Voelcker, NH 2015, 'Materials displaying neural growth factor gradients and applications in neural differentiation of embryoid body cells', Advanced Functional Materials, vol. 25, no. 18, pp. 2737-2744. 12 19
2015	Macgregor-Ramiasa, MN, Cavallaro, AA & Vasilev, K 2015, 'Properties and reactivity of polyoxazoline plasma polymer films', Journal of Materials Chemistry B, vol. 3, no. 30, pp. 6327-6337. 52 46 3
2015	Ramiasa, M, Cavallaro, A, Mierczynska, A, Christo, S, Gleadle, J, Hayball, J & Vasilev, K 2015, 'Plasma polymerised polyoxazoline thin films for biomedical applications', Chemical Communications, vol. 51, pp. 4279-4282. 70 67 7
2015	Taheri, S, Cavallaro, A, Christo, SN, Majewski, P, Barton, M, Hayball, J & Vasilev, K 2015, 'Antibacterial plasma polymer films conjugated with phospholipid encapsulated silver nanoparticles', ACS Biomaterial Science and Engineering, vol. 1, no. 12, pp. 1278-1286. 32 32 3
2015	Vasani, R, Losic, D, Cavallaro, A & Voelcker, N 2015, 'Fabrication of stimulus-responsive diatom biosilica microcapsules for antibiotic drug delivery', Journal of Materials Chemistry B, vol. 3, pp. 4325-4329. 59 59
2014	Baier, G, Cavallaro, A, Friedemann, K, Muller, B, Glasser, G, Vasilev, K & Landfester, K 2014, 'Enzymatic degradation of poly(L-lactide) nanoparticles followed by the release of octenidine and their bactericidal effects', Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology Biology and Medicine, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 131-139. 34 32
2014	Cavallaro, A, Majewski, P, Barton, M & Vasilev, K 2014, 'Substrate independent approach for immobilisation of quaternary ammonium compounds to surfaces to reduce bio-burden', Materials Science Forum, vol. 783-786, pp. 1389-1395. 1
2014	Cavallaro, AA, Taheri, S & Vasilev, KA 2014, 'Responsive and 'smart' antibacterial surfaces : common approaches and new developments', BioInterphases: An Open Access Journal for the Biomaterials Interface Community, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 1-10. Open access 46 46 1
2014	Hasanzadeh Kafshgari, M, Cavallaro, AA, Delalat, B, Harding, FJ, McInnes, SJP, Makila, E, Salonen, J, Vasilev, KA & Voelcker, N 2014, 'Nitric oxide-releasing porous silicon nanoparticles', Nanoscale Research Letters, vol. 9, article no. 333, pp. 1-9. Open access 40 37
2014	Taheri, S, Cavallaro, A, Barton, M, Whittle, J, Majewski, P, Smith, L & Vasilev, K 2014, 'Antibacterial efficacy and cytotoxicity of silver-nanoparticle–based coatings facilitated by a plasma deposited polymer interlayer', Plasma Medicine, vol. 4, pp. 101-115. Open access 5
2014	Taheri, S, Cavallaro, AA, Christo, S, Smith, L, Majewski, P, Barton, M, Hayball, J & Vasilev, K 2014, 'Substrate independent silver nanoparticle based antibacterial coatings', Biomaterials, vol. 35, no. 16, pp. 4601-4609. 111 103 5
2013	Baier, G, Cavallaro, A, Vasilev, K, Mailander, V, Musyanovych, A & Landfester, K 2013, 'Enzyme responsive hyaluronic acid nanocapsules containing polyhexanide and their exposure to bacteria to prevent infection', Biomacromolecules, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 1103-1112. 94 90
2012	Goreham, R V, Mierczynska, A, Pierce, M, Short, RD, Taheri, S, Bachhuka, A, Cavallaro, A, Smith, LE & Vasilev, K 2012, 'A substrate independent approach for generation of surface gradients', Thin Solid Films, vol. 528, pp. 106-110. 47 45

Conferences

Year	Output
2016	Macgregor-Ramiasa, M, Cavallaro, A, Visalakshan, R, Gonzalez, L & Vasilev, K 2016, 'Plasma deposited polyoxazoline coatings, a versatile new class of biomaterials', Chemeca conference 2016, Engineers Australia, article no. 3405677, pp. 302-312.
2016	Visalakshan, RM, Cavallaro, A, Smith, LE, MacGregor-Ramiasa, M, Hayball, J & Vasilev, K 2016, 'Downstream influences of oxazoline plasma polymerisation conditions on chemical and biological interactions', Chemeca conference 2016, Engineers Australia, article no. 3405675, pp. 840-848.

Other outputs

24th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (ASBTE) 2015 Controlled and sustained release of pharmaceuticals via a single step solvent-free encapsulation
The Royal Australian Chemical Institute’s SA Polymer and Bionanotechnology Symposium 2014 Substrate independent concentration gradients of immobilized quaternary ammonium compounds
12th Asia Pacific Conference on Plasma Science and Technology (APCPST) 2014 Substrate independent concentration gradients of immobilised quaternary ammonium compounds for reduction of bio-burden
International Conference on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICONN) 2014 Substrate independent approach for immobilisation of quaternary ammonium compounds
RACI SA Student Polymer & Bionanotechnology Symposium 2013 Nanoengineered antimicrobial gradients for understanding of biofilm formation
Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (ASBTE) 2013 Gradient substrata of tailored concentration of antimicrobial agents as a novel approach towards the understanding of bacteria surface interactions

Research

Patents

Details	Registry	Status
Plasma polymerised oxazoline coatings and uses thereof Cavallaro, Alex Anthony; Macgregor-Ramiasa, Melanie Njarin; Vasilev, Krasimir Atanasov	AU	Filed
Plasma polymerised oxazoline coatings and uses thereof Vasilev, Krasi; Ramiasa, Melanie; Cavallaro, Alex	AU	Filed

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Organisation	Country
AstraZeneca	AUSTRALIA
Flinders University	AUSTRALIA
Genentech	UNITED STATES
James Cook University	AUSTRALIA
Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz	GERMANY
Max Planck Institut fur Polymerforschung	GERMANY
Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research	GERMANY
Max Plank Institute for Polymer Research	GERMANY
Monash University	AUSTRALIA
Nouryon Surface Chemistry AB	SWEDEN
Purdue University	UNITED STATES
SA Pathology	AUSTRALIA
Shandong University	CHINA
Teva Pharmaceuticals	UNITED STATES
The Australian Wine Research Institute	AUSTRALIA
Tsinghua University	CHINA
Universitat Siegen	GERMANY
University of Adelaide	AUSTRALIA
University of Auckland	NEW ZEALAND
University of Bordeaux	FRANCE
University of California, Riverside	UNITED STATES
University of Nantes	FRANCE
University of Otago	NEW ZEALAND
University of Siegen	GERMANY
University of South Australia	AUSTRALIA
University of Sydney	AUSTRALIA
University of the South Pacific	FIJI
University of Turku	FINLAND
Zhejiang Ocean University	CHINA

Teaching & student supervision

Teaching strengths

Applied Microbiology and Biointerfaces
Surface Engineering and Analysis
Applied Cell Biology

Highlights

Previous Tutor and Practical Demonstrator in Engineering Materials within the School of Engineering, University of South Australia

Teaching & student supervision

Research degree supervision

Supervisions from 2010 shown

Thesis title	Student status
Nano engineered surfaces to control biological response	Completed
Surface engineered microneedles for delivery of bioactive compounds	Completed

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Dr Alex Cavallaro

About me

About me

Future Industries Institute

About me

Professional Associations

Experience

Qualifications

Research

Research focus

Highlights

Projects

Outputs

Journal Articles

Conferences

Other outputs

Current research & highlights

Patents

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Collaborations

Teaching & student supervision

Teaching strengths

Highlights

Courses and programs

Research degree supervision

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