Sarah Galea, a Master’s by Research student within the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, recently participated in the prestigious 2025 on , hosted by the European Scientific Institute (ESI) and .
This European Union funded initiative brought together 24 early-career professionals from around the globe, representing backgrounds in physics, engineering, chemistry, medicine, and the life sciences, to form interdisciplinary teams tasked with proposing novel healthcare solutions based on particle accelerator technologies. The four-week hybrid programme through July concluded with an intensive 10-day on-site phase at ESI Archamps, where participants developed and pitched their final concepts to a panel of experts at CERN.
Galea served as the mechanical engineer in a six-member team composed of a medical doctor, chemist, accelerator physicist, medical physicist, and theoretical physicist. Together, they developed IN-STENT CURE - a forward-thinking concept that reimagines the conventional vascular stent as a dual-action therapeutic device he design integrates a two-layer, surface-engineered coating that allows for both immediate drug release and on-demand therapy through external irradiation. This targeted approach aims to reduce the risk of restenosis (the re-narrowing of arteries after a stent procedure) and eliminate the need for secondary surgeries.
This international experience aligned closely with Galea’s own postgraduate research at the University of Malta, which investigates how surface engineering can be used to control the corrosion rate of WE43 magnesium alloy, a biodegradable material of growing interest for biomedical implants. Her research, supervised by Prof. Ing. Bertram Mallia, aims to improve the clinical viability and longevity of such devices through surface engineering techniques to avoid revision surgeries.
Reflecting on her experience, Galea emphasised the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing healthcare innovation. “The intersection of surface engineering, materials science, and biomedical design is where some of the most impactful solutions are emerging. Being part of this initiative strengthened my commitment to research that contributes meaningfully to both patient wellbeing and the advancement of medical technology.â€
In addition to her studies, Sarah Galea also supports the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering as a Part-time Support Engineer. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Malta and continues to explore how engineering can bridge fundamental science with clinical application.
