Dr. Farshid Guilak is the Mildred B. Simon Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University, Director of Research for the St. Louis Shriners Hospitals for Children, and co-director of the Washington University Center of Regenerative Medicine. He also has appointments in the Departments of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Engineering. He received BS and MS degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a second master’s degree and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University.
His laboratory is pursuing a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the role of biomechanics and mechanobiology in the etiology and pathogenesis of various musculoskeletal diseases – particularly osteoarthritis – as a basis for developing and translating new tissue-engineering therapies. His current research studies focus on the use of novel genome engineering methods for reprogramming stem cells to create functional tissue replacements for regenerating musculoskeletal tissues. One of the primary ongoing research areas in his lab has been the combination of tissue engineering of synthetic biology to developing regenerative implants that contain synthetic circuits to control, for example, self-regulating drug delivery.
He has received grants and awards totaling nearly $50M from the NIH, private foundations, and industry, and leads a laboratory of over 30 students, postdocs, and staff. He has published nearly 400 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has co-edited four books, including Functional Tissue Engineering). Dr. Guilak served as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Biomechanics for over 20 years and serves on the editorial board of 15 other journals. He has won numerous national and international awards for research, as well as five separate awards for mentorship. He also directs a NIH/NIBIB-funded T32 training program In Regenerative Medicine. This past year, he was elected in the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors for advances in the fields of regenerative medicine and mechanobiology, including the applications of synthetic biology to these fields.
He is also the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Cytex Therapeutics, a startup company focusing on biofabrication of engineered tissues using 3D textile processing (3D weaving) in combination with 3D printing of biomaterials scaffolds to treat musculoskeletal conditions.