George Pins serves as professor and associate head of the Biomedical Engineering Department at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University, studying the development of collagen-based biomaterials for tissue engineering. He then pursued post-doctoral training at the Center for Engineering in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, where he worked in the areas of bioMEMS, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
His research focuses on the development of novel bioengineered scaffolds to enhance the regeneration of damaged tissues and organs. Specifically, his lab takes cues from how natural tissue grows and heals itself to develop three-dimensional constructs that emulate native tissue architecture and 3D cellular microenvironments. These studies have led to the creation of microfabricated basement membrane structures to enhance the performance of bioengineered skin substitutes and the development of biopolymer microthreads, sutures and composite scaffolds. Professor Pins’ lab is investigating the application of these microthreads for targeted stem cell delivery, as well as to promote skeletal muscle and myocardial tissue regeneration. He is also co-founded a company (VitaThreads, LLC) to commercialize microthread-based scaffolds to improve wound healing and tissue regeneration. Professor Pins’ research has been funded by the NIH, NSF and DoD as well as private foundations (Whitaker) and industrial partners.