Featured Speakers

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  Dr. Arthur Coury

  Vice President, Biomaterials Research, Genzyme Corporation
  "Tissue Engineering: successful in the broad interpretation"

  Dr. Coury's career focus has been polymeric biomaterials for medical products such as implantable electronic devices, hydrogel-based devices and drug delivery systems. He holds over fifty distinct patents and has published and presented widely in his field.
• 

  Dr. James Iatridis

  Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Vermont
  "Preventing and treating disc degeneration: how can bioengineering help?"

  Dr. Iatridis's research focuses on the bioengineering of the spine and intervertebreal discs. Both detection and repair of degenerative discs are desired. The complex interrelationships of the mechanical, electrical and chemical environments of the cells and living tissues are studied with and without biosynthetic devices.
• 

  Dr. David Kaplan

  Professor and Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University
  Director of the Tissue Engineering Resource Center (TERC)

  Our Center is designed to advance fundamental and translational aspects of functional tissue engineering through:

  • Scientific discovery
  • Collaborations
  • Training for investigators
  • Dissemination of scientific findings and new techniques to the tissue engineering community

  Our expertise and facilities are focused on research, problem solving and training for the biomedical community through an integrated systems approach to the challenges of functional tissue engineering.
• 

  Dr. James Marks

  Professor, Anesthesia and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California at San Francisco
  "Engineering antibodies to potently neutralize botulinum neurotoxins"
• 

  Dr. Buddy Ratner

  Professor of Bioengineering, The University of Washington
  "Tissue Engineering: Promise, Hype, Realities"

  Dr. Ratner's research focuses on the development of biomaterial surfaces. Immobilization of signaling molecules on existing medical devices is performed using radio-frequency plasma deposition and biostable and environmentally responsive polymers are synthesized for use as surfaces and porous scaffolds. All surfaces are tested for their effects in contact with blood, proteins and living cells.
• 

  Dr. Mehmet Toner

  Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
  Director of the NIH BioMEMS Resource Center at Massachusetts General Hospital

  Biomedical applications of microfabricated devices are no longer limited to non-living systems as genes on a chip or labs on a chip. Today a new generation of microdevices that incorporates living cells is emerging, fueled by recent advances in the understanding of cellular behavior in microenvironments. These emerging devices are expected to become key technologies in the 21st century of medicine, with a broad range of applications varying from diagnostic, tissue-engineered products, cell-based drug screening tools, and basic molecular biology tools.

  The BioMEMS Resource Center offers the local research community access to state of the art biological and microfabrication facilities and provides workshops and customized training to people interested in microfabrication technology.