Latest University Positions
Professor Ravi Bellamkonda, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech University and Emory College of Medicine), has recently been named the dean of the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University. Professor Bellamkonda, a renowned biomedical engineer, has conducted extensive research on the application of biomaterials to the nervous system for cancer and nerve repair therapies.
Recent Advancements in Industry, Academia, & Philantrhopy
Poietis Parners with L'Oreal on Hair Project
Poietis, a Pessac, France based biotechnology company creating human tissues for regenerative medical purposes, made partnership with L’Oreal to bioprint functional hair fol-licles, the skin organ that grows hair. L’Oreal has dedicated itself to tissue engineering for the last 30 years and has exten- sive experience with hair biology. During this multiannual research partnership, Poietis will use its unique laser-assisted bioprinting technology with extremely high resolution for hair engineering.
Advancements in Academia
Wake Forest Scientists Printed Functional Cartilage
Scientists at Wake Forest University have recently printed functional cartilage, soft muscle and bones that have been successfully implanted into animals. This breakthrough technology, as reported in Nature Biotechnology, will potentially be used for clinical applications once the safety and efficacy has been established in animal models.
Vanderbilt University discovers method to construct fiber networks.
Scientists at Vanderbilt University have recently discovered an unexpected way to construct fiber networks that can be used as templates to build artificial organs: cotton candy machines. This finding, published in Advanced Heatlhcare Materials, utilizes the cotton candy machines to create microfluidic networks that mimic the human threedimensional capillary system. By utilizing a top-down approach with the cotton candy machine spinning method, the scientists were able to produce channels that ranged fromthree to five microns, with an average diameter of thirty-five microns, which are similar in size to human capillaries. The researchers are now fine-tuning their method to apply to other types of vascular networks.
