Michiya Matsusaki
(Department of Applied Chemistry, Osaka University, Japan)

Michiya Matsusaki was born in Kagoshima, Japan in 1976. He received his Ph.D. degree in 2003 from Kagoshima University. He started his academic career as a Postdoctoral fellow at Osaka University in 2003. He was a visiting scientist at Lund University in 2004. In 2006, he joined the Department of Applied Chemistry in the Graduate School of Engineering at Osaka University as an Assistant Professor. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2015 and to full Professor in 2019. He was a JST-PRESTO researcher (Concurrent position) from 2008 to 2011 and from 2015 to 2019. He was awarded 20 awards including the Young Scientist’s Prize by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. His research interest is biomaterials and tissue engineering for regenerative medicine and pharmaceutical applications.

Tan Lay Poh
(School of Materials Science & Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore)

A/P Tan Lay Poh is from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her research group works on developing engineering platforms to investigate cell-material interactions that eventually provide insights to develop 3D scaffolds and cell culture platforms for soft tissue engineering. The lab focuses significantly on platforms that modulate cellular and focal adhesions spatial control, including shape and cluster size; which consequently drives cellular behavior such as differentiation, migration, phenotypic maintenance etc. With these insights, various 3D scaffolds that mimic ECM physical properties were developed. For the past years, the laboratory has started using these insights from tissue engineering platforms and translated them for cultivated meat applications. These platforms, using mechanotransduction principles, are versatile and could mitigate the dependence on expensive differentiation media. She has published extensively in the top journals of biomaterials and tissue engineering and licensed her patents for translational work

Seung Yun Nam
(Pukyong National University, Korea, Republic of)

Seung Yun Nam is a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Pukyong National University in Busan, South Korea. His current research has focused on advancing biofabrication methodologies integrating 3D bioprinting, rheological analysis, and machine learning to overcome the current limitations.

2019‒Present: Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pukyong National University
2018‒2020: Department Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pukyong National University
2015‒2019: Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pukyong National University
2014‒2015: Postdoctoral Fellow, Ultrasound Imaging and Therapeutics Research Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin
2014: Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering (Biomedical Engineering Track), The University of Texas at Austin
2009: M.S.E. in Electrical and Computer Engineering (Biomedical Engineering Track), The University of Texas at Austin
2007: B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Seoul National University

Susmita Ghosh
(Chonnam National University, Korea, Republic of)

Susmita Ghosh, a master's student in Chonnam National University.

Lorenzo Moroni
(Maastricht University, Netherlands)

Prof. Dr. Lorenzo Moroni studied Biomedical Engineering at Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy, and Nanoscale Sciences at Chalmers Technical University, Sweden. He received his Ph.D. cum laude in 2006 at University of Twente on 3D scaffolds for osteochondral regeneration, for which he was awarded the European doctorate award in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering from the European Society of Biomaterials (ESB). In 2007, he worked at Johns Hopkins University as a post-doctoral fellow in the Elisseeff lab, focusing on hydrogels and stem cells. In 2008, he was appointed the R&D director of the Musculoskeletal Tissue Bank of Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, where he investigated the use of stem cells from alternative sources for cell banking, and the development of novel bioactive scaffolds for skeletal regeneration. From 2009 till 2014, he joined again University of Twente, where he got tenured in the Tissue Regeneration department.
Since 2014 he works at Maastricht University, where he is a founding member of the MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine. In 2016, he became full professor in biofabrication for regenerative medicine. Since 2019, he is chair of the Complex Tissue Regeneration department. He was vice-director of MERLN from 2019 till 2022. Since 2022, he is director of MERLN.
His research group interests aim at developing biofabrication technologies to generate libraries of 3D scaffolds able to control cell fate, with applications spanning from skeletal to vascular, neural, and organ regeneration. From his research efforts, 3 products have already reached the market. In 2014, he received the prestigious Jean Leray award for outstanding young principal investigators from the ESB and the ERC starting grant. In 2016, he also received the prestigious Robert Brown Award for outstanding early career principal investigators from TERMIS. In 2017, he was elected as faculty of the Young Academy of Europe and in the top 100 Italian scientists within 40 worldwide by the European Institute of Italian Culture. He has been elected as member of the Science Academy of Europe since 2022.

Koichi Nakayama
(Saga University, Japan)

​Koichi Nakayama, MD, PhD, is Professor and Chairman at the Department of Regenerative Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Japan. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. Dr. Nakayama is currently the president of the Cell Aggregation Meeting and also serves as a committee member for the Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine. He received his MD from Kyushu University, Faculty of Medicine and his PhD from the Graduate School of the same institution. After specializing and working in orthopedic surgery at Fukuoka Red Cross hospital, National Hospital Organization Kyushu Medical Center, and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery of the Kyushu University Hospital, Nakayama went on to lead a project on bio-rapid prototyping funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) at Kyushu University. This work led to the invention of a pioneering scaffold-free method for bio 3D printing, based on cell spheroids being deposited onto needle arrays at specific coordinates. In 2010 Nakayama co-founded Cyfuse Biomedical, where he currently is the scientific advisor. Together with Shibuya Kogyo, Cyfuse work on developing the bio 3D printer Regenova, as well as new biological products and solutions for drug testing and regenerative medicine. The company, together with Nakayama’s laboratory at Saga University and several Japanese and international partners are leading the way in scaffold-free bio 3D printed blood vessels, cartilage, liver, cardiac and neural tissues.

Sarah Heilshorn
(Stanford University, USA)

Sarah Heilshorn is Professor and Associate Chair in the Materials Science & Engineering Department at Stanford University and the Director of the Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials. She holds courtesy faculty appointments in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering and is a Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education. Her laboratory integrates concepts from materials science and protein engineering to design new, bioinspired materials. These materials are being explored for applications in regenerative medicine, organoid culture, and 3D bioprinting. Prof. Heilshorn is a fervent supporter of diversifying the engineering community and serves in multiple leadership roles to help achieve this goal. She is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. She currently serves as an Associate Editor of the journal Science Advances, Editor of the journal Acta Biomaterialia, and serves on the Board of Directors for the International Society for Biofabrication (ISBF) and the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS).

Lorenzo Moroni
(Maastricht University, Netherlands)

Prof. Dr. Lorenzo Moroni studied Biomedical Engineering at Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy, and Nanoscale Sciences at Chalmers Technical University, Sweden. He received his Ph.D. cum laude in 2006 at University of Twente on 3D scaffolds for osteochondral regeneration, for which he was awarded the European doctorate award in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering from the European Society of Biomaterials (ESB). In 2007, he worked at Johns Hopkins University as a post-doctoral fellow in the Elisseeff lab, focusing on hydrogels and stem cells. In 2008, he was appointed the R&D director of the Musculoskeletal Tissue Bank of Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, where he investigated the use of stem cells from alternative sources for cell banking, and the development of novel bioactive scaffolds for skeletal regeneration. From 2009 till 2014, he joined again University of Twente, where he got tenured in the Tissue Regeneration department.
Since 2014 he works at Maastricht University, where he is a founding member of the MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine. In 2016, he became full professor in biofabrication for regenerative medicine. Since 2019, he is chair of the Complex Tissue Regeneration department. He was vice-director of MERLN from 2019 till 2022. Since 2022, he is director of MERLN.
His research group interests aim at developing biofabrication technologies to generate libraries of 3D scaffolds able to control cell fate, with applications spanning from skeletal to vascular, neural, and organ regeneration. From his research efforts, 3 products have already reached the market. In 2014, he received the prestigious Jean Leray award for outstanding young principal investigators from the ESB and the ERC starting grant. In 2016, he also received the prestigious Robert Brown Award for outstanding early career principal investigators from TERMIS. In 2017, he was elected as faculty of the Young Academy of Europe and in the top 100 Italian scientists within 40 worldwide by the European Institute of Italian Culture. He has been elected as member of the Science Academy of Europe since 2022.

Martin Engel
(Inventia Life Science, Australia)

Dr Martin Engel is Principal Scientist and Senior Business Development Manager APAC at Inventia Life Science. Dr Engel joint Inventia with extensive experience in developing and using preclinical models, including stem-cell derived organoids and 3D tissue cultures, to guide the development of novel 3D cell cultures and organoid models on the Rastrum bioprinting platform. In his current and previous roles, Dr Engel has predominantly focused on improving the biological relevance of in vitro models through biomaterial development, and widening the insights that can be derived from them by partnering with technology providers, and biomedical scientists. Over the course of his work, Dr. Engel has published a range of method, protocol, and workflow papers alongside discussion articles and drug treatment development publications. He holds a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Wollongong, and interacts widely with the Australian and international biomedical community to continue aiding preclinical discoveries.

Dong Hyuk Lee
(Gachon University, CleCell Co., Ltd., Korea, Republic of)

CEO(R&D), Clecell
Professor, Gacheon University, Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine
CEO, Cybermed (Medical 3D S/W, 3D Printing)
CEO, MST(Electroical Nerve Simulator)
Ph.D. Seoul National University, Biomedical Engineering

Michiya Matsusaki
(Osaka University, Japan)

Michiya Matsusaki was born in Kagoshima, Japan in 1976. He received his Ph.D. degree in 2003 from Kagoshima University. He started his academic career as a Postdoctoral fellow at Osaka University in 2003. He was a visiting scientist at Lund University in 2004. In 2006, he joined the Department of Applied Chemistry in the Graduate School of Engineering at Osaka University as an Assistant Professor. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2015 and to full Professor in 2019. He was a JST-PRESTO researcher (Concurrent position) from 2008 to 2011 and from 2015 to 2019. He was awarded 20 awards including the Young Scientist’s Prize by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. His research interest is biomaterials and tissue engineering for regenerative medicine and pharmaceutical applications.

Catherine Picart
(French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, France)

Catherine Picart is research director, head of the Biology and Biotechnology for Health Joint Research Unit (INSERM/CEA/UGA). She also leads the “Biomimetism and Regenerative Medicine (BRM)” research team (EMR BRM 5000, CNRS/CEA/UGA). She was senior member of the Institute Universitaire de France (IUF) (2016-2021). Her research is focused on tissue engineering, biomaterials, medical devices, drug delivery, molecular and cellular biophysics. She received the CNRS Silver medal in 2016 and the Emilia Valori Prize from the French Academy of Science in 2019. Over the past 10 years, she was the PI of 4 ERC grants.

Toshinori Fujie
(Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan)

TOSHINORI FUJIE is Associate Professor of the School of Life Science and Technology at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), Japan. He received his PhD (Engineering) in 2009 from the Department of Life Science and Medical Bioscience, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University.

He spent postdoctoral periods at the Italian Institute of Technology (2010-12) and Tohoku University (2012-13). In 2013, he joined the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University as Assistant Professor. In 2016, he moved to the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study (WIAS) and promoted to Associate Professor in 2018. He also served as a Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO) researcher in the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) (2015-2019).

From November 2018, he moved to the current institute as a tenure-track Associate Professor (Lecturer) in the framework of Leading Initiative for Excellent Young Researchers (LEADER) by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan. In June 2021, he was promoted to Associate Professor. He is also a founder of f-Tech Co. Ltd., a spin-off company from TokyoTech.

His research interests are dedicated to the development of nano/micro technologies for diagnostics and therapeutics in the treatment of intractable diseases by utilizing polymeric materials, molecular assembly, tissue engineering, bioelectronics and bio-inspired/mimetic engineering. He published more than 100 papers in ISI journals including Nature Biomedical Engineering, Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, Biomaterials, etc. His honors include The Award for Young Investigator of Japanese Society for Biomaterials (2017) by Japanese Society for Biomaterials, and the Young Scientists' Prize for the Commendation for Science and Technology by MEXT, Japan (2018).

Merve Kübra Aktan
(Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium)

Merve Kubra Aktan is a dedicated researcher in the field of biomaterials and tissue engineering. Currently serving as both Project Manager and a Post-doctoral Researcher at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven/Belgium, Merve is actively involved in the NOMAD project funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe programme (grant agreement no. 101091669). In this role, they oversee and contribute to cutting-edge research initiatives aimed at advancing the field of biomaterials.

Having completed their doctoral studies at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven as a PhD Researcher in the Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Research Group, Merve possesses extensive knowledge and experience in the subject.

Merve's research primarily revolves around the surface modification of biomaterials. Her studies specialize in the development and application of antimicrobial compounds on biomaterial surfaces, with a particular focus on combatting implant-associated infections. Her work holds great promise in improving the safety and efficacy of medical implants, benefiting countless individuals in need of such devices.

Hyuk Sang Yoo
(Kangwon National University, Korea, Republic of)

He received a B.S. degree (1996), a M.S. degree (1998), and a Ph.D. degree (2002, Advisor: Professor Tae Gwan Park) at Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. After a post-doctoral fellow at Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Johns Hopkins University (2004, Advisor: Professor Kam W. Leong), he joined the Kangwon National University as an assistant professor (2005). He is now a tenured professor of Biomedical Materials Engineering. He was also a visiting scholar for the Johns Hopkins University (2005) and the Northwestern University (2010). His research is focused on nano-biomaterials for drug delivery and tissue engineering employing multifunctional nanofibers and nanoparticles.

Andreas Karau
(Evonik Operations GmbH, Germany)

Master in chemical process engineering and a PhD in biochemical process engineering from the Technical University of Aachen. Currently he is responsible for the Medical Device Solution business within the Health Care business of Evonik. Within this role he is responsible for the development and commercialisation of several new biomaterial platforms for medical device applications. Prior this role he had several leading roles and international assignments within Evonik in the field of biotechnologial process development and commercial implementaton, strategic innovation management and business roles in the pharma and medical devices field. In addition he is a lector for industrial biotechnology at the University of Dortmund.

Heidy Cruz
(T&R Biofab, Korea, Republic of)

Heidy Cruz is a materials scientist with a rich academic background and extensive international experience in materials engineering. She received my PhD from the University of Queensland in Australia and my Master’s and Bachelor’s from South Korea and the Philippines, respectively. Throughout her career, Heidy has been committed to bridging the gap between academic innovation and real-world impact. The applications for her research innovations have spanned a wide range of industries, from exploring sustainable solutions for the circular economy to developing smart composites for semiconductors. Her collaborative and cross-cultural approach to innovation reflects her diverse background, having lived in four countries over the last ten years. She wrote over 10 publications with esteemed peers from the University of Ghent, the University of Illinois, and Nanyang Technological University.
After completing her postdoctoral fellowship at the National University of Singapore and The University of Queensland, Heidy moved to South Korea to join the overseas business development team at T&R Biofab.

Jeehee Kim
(ROKIT Healthcare, Inc., Korea, Republic of)

Dr. Jeehee Kim from ROKIT Healthcare is the chief technology officer and president leading the Organ Regeneration Platform strategic business unit.
The Hyper-Personalized Skin Regeneration unit focuses on solving unmet challenges in skin and wound repair by converging the power of three technologies, including 3D bioprinting, autologous human biomaterials, and artificial intelligence. ROKIT Healthcare is the first of its kind to commercialize this bioprinting-based human tissue regeneration platform around the world.
Dr. Jeehee Kim has her Ph.D. in Stem Cell Biology from the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich in Germany and had prior experience at the Yale University School of Medicine Stem Cell Center doing research in stem cell & iPS cells. Dr. Kim also has a Master of Science in Dental Science from the Seoul National University.

Andreas Blaeser
(Technical University of Darmstadt, Institute for Biomedical printing technology, Germany)

Andreas Blaeser is professor for "BioMedical Printing Technology" at TU Darmstadt and conducts research in the field of biofabrication, production and joining technology of biologized functional materials (click here for a compelling introduction video: https://tu-darmstadt.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=1183b5f9-93d8-4aa9-a6ca-ae2700a49e91&start=0). In this role, he leads and develops an interdisciplinary team of scientists and teaches interdisciplinary subjects on Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, Biofabrication, and 3D-Bioprinting Technology as part of the master programs "Mechanical and Process Engineering”, and “Synthetic Biology” as well as in the Bachelor program “Bio-Materials Engineering”. The focus of his research and teaching is on bringing together living cells, hydrogels and engineering materials with special mechanical, chemical and electrical properties. His work provides the basis for the future production of bioartificial tissues, "sentient" robotics and renewable semi-finished products. These can be used, for example, as implants in regenerative medicine, as sensor-integrated in vitro models for drug and toxicity studies, as artificial skin of soft robotics elements, or as sustainable bioartificial consumer goods (e.g. cultured meat).

Lesley Chow
(Lehigh University, USA)

Dr. Lesley Chow is an Associate Professor jointly appointed in the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) and Bioengineering (BIOE) at Lehigh University. She joined Lehigh following her postdoctoral training at Imperial College London in Materials and BIOE and received her B.S. in MSE from the University of Florida and her Ph.D. in MSE from Northwestern University. She currently leads the Modular Biomaterials Laboratory, which focuses on developing molecular building blocks to construct implantable, multicomponent materials for functional tissue regeneration. She has received several awards for her scholarship, teaching, and service, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, American Chemical Society (ACS) Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) Young Investigator Award, Rossin Award for Interdisciplinary Research Excellence, Rossin Award for Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity, and the Early-Career Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award (ECURMA) by the Engineering Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR).

Liliang Ouyang
(Tsinghua University, China)

Dr. Ouyang is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tsinghua University. He obtained a Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering at Tsinghua University (2017), postdoctoral training in Materials and Bioengineering at Imperial College London (2017-2020), and a visiting research training in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania (2015-2016). His research interests include the design, fabrication, and application of complex biomaterial and cellular systems, with a central focus on the development of 3D bioprinting and advanced biofabrication technologies for engineering in vitro living systems. He has published a series of peer-reviewed articles in well-recognized journals, including Science Advances, Advanced Materials, and Trends in Biotechnology, with a total Google Scholar citation of 3400+ and an H-index of 22. He is currently an Editorial Board member of Biofabrication, Associate Editor of the International Journal of Bioprinting, and Early Career Researcher committee member of ISBF. He has been recognized with a series of awards, including the ISBF New Investigator Award (2021).

Marcy Zenobi-Wong
(ETH Zurich, Switzerland)

): Dr. Marcy Zenobi-Wong is a full Professor of Tissue Engineering and Biofabrication at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. She obtained her PhD from Stanford University and then did a post-doctoral fellowship in the Orthopaedic Research Laboratories, University of Michigan. In 2012, she moved to the Department of Health Sciences & Technology at ETH Zürich. The Zenobi-Wong research group is focused on the development of advanced biomaterials for tissue regeneration using biofabrication technologies including bioprinting, two-photon polymerization, casting and electrospinning. Her team recently introduced Filamented Light Biofabrication (FLIght). Dr. Zenobi-Wong is the author of over 120 peer-reviewed publications and co-inventor on four licensed patents. She has held leadership roles at the Swiss Society for Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, the International Society of Biofabrication (ISBF) and is past director of the Institute for Biomechanics, ETH Zürich. She serves on the editorial board for Biofabricationand Advanced Healthcare Materials.

Yong He
(Zhejiang University, China)

Prof Yong He is currently a professor at Zhejiang University, School of Mechanical Engineering. In 2023, he was honored the outstanding young scholar of China by NSFC for his work in 3D bioprinting (Only seven persons per year in one area). Also he is the deputy director of State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, associate editor of “Bio-design & Manufacturing” and “International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing”, editorial board member of “Biofabrication”. His research is focused on the 3D bioprinting with H index of 57(Google Scholar). Now he has published more than 100 papers including Science Translational Medicine, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Science Advances etc, cited over 9900 times and ten of them are featured as cover arts. He also published two books about 3D bioprinting and established a brand of EFL(Engineering for Life), the bioink and bioprinters provided by EFL have been used for over 2000 labs in China.

Manuela Gomes
(3B's Research Group, University of Minho, Portugal)

Manuela E. Gomes is Associate Professor and Vice-President of the I3Bs Research Institute of the University of Minho, Portugal. She was a founder member of the 3B’s Research Group and she was the first President of the I3Bs Research Institute, funded in 2018. Her research interests currently focus on tendon tissue engineering strategies, namely in the development of scaffold materials and bioinks based on biodegradable natural origin polymers, stem cells sourcing and differentiation (using biochemical and physical methods, particularly magnetic stimulus). Manuela Gomes has been involved in numerous European and national/regional projects as PI or team member; She currently coordinates a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC CoG) - MagTendon, among others. Manuela Gomes is editor of 3 books and co-editor of the Tissue Engineering Encyclopaedia (Elsevier, 2019) and author of 235 full papers, 51 book chapters, 8 patents and has delivered 60 lectures in international conferences. Manuela Gomes is Fellow of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (FTERM) and Chair-elect of the TERMIS-EU; She is the European Orthopaedic Research Society (EORS) Embassador in Portugal

Yonghui Ding
(Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA)

Dr. Yonghui Ding is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). His primary focus lies in the integration of materials science and additive manufacturing for tissue regeneration with the long-term goal of providing clinically relevant solutions to patients. His research efforts have resulted in more than 45 peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals such as Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, Advanced Healthcare Materials, Acta Biomaterialia, Small, ACS Applied Materials & Interface. Dr. Ding’s work has gained > 3000 citations and an H-index of 26.

Y. Shrike Zhang
(Harvard Medical School, USA)

Dr. Zhang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Associate Bioengineer in the Division of Engineering in Medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is directing the Laboratory of Engineered Living Systems (www.shrikezhang.com), where the research is focused on innovating medical engineering technologies, including 3D bioprinting, organs-on-chips, microfluidics, and bioanalysis, to recreate functional tissues and their biomimetic models, for applications in regenerative medicine and personalized medicine. Dr. Zhang is an author of >300 peer-reviewed publications (>50 covers; citations ~30,000, h-index = 86). His scientific contributions have been recognized by >45 awards.

Yan Yan Shery Huang
(University of Cambridge, United Kingdom)

Prof. Yan Yan Shery Huang is Professor of Bioengineering, leading the Biointerface Group at Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (FIMMM)-UK; Associate Editor of ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, and Bio-Design and Manufacturing. Shery completed her MEng degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Imperial College London, and PhD degree in Physics (Biological & Soft Systems) from University of Cambridge, UK.

Liliang Ouyang
(Tsinghua University, China)

Dr. Ouyang is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tsinghua University. He obtained a Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering at Tsinghua University (2017), postdoctoral training in Materials and Bioengineering at Imperial College London (2017-2020), and a visiting research training in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania (2015-2016). His research interests include the design, fabrication, and application of complex biomaterial and cellular systems, with a central focus on the development of 3D bioprinting and advanced biofabrication technologies for engineering in vitro living systems. He has published a series of peer-reviewed articles in well-recognized journals, including Science Advances, Advanced Materials, and Trends in Biotechnology, with a total Google Scholar citation of 3400+ and an H-index of 22. He is currently an Editorial Board member of Biofabrication, Associate Editor of the International Journal of Bioprinting, and Early Career Researcher committee member of ISBF. He has been recognized with a series of awards, including the ISBF New Investigator Award (2021).

Chiara Tonda Turo
(Politecnico di Torino, Italy)

Chiara Tonda-Turo (born 1982) received Master Degree (2006) in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Torino and PhD (2011) in Biomedical Engineering at Politecnico di Torino, where she worked on the development of bioartificial constructs for repairing peripheral nerve. From 2021, she is an Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Politecnico di Torino.
Chiara scientific background is related to the design, processing and characterisation of biomedical materials (natural and synthetic polymers and their blend), aiming to nano- and micro- scale design and manufacturing of biomimetic and innovative medical devices for tissue engineering, advanced therapies in regenerative medicine, controlled drugs/biomolecules release and development of in vitro-like tissue models.
Since the beginning of her academic carrier in 2009, she has authored 60 publications with overall 2341 citations from 2062 documents achieving H-index equal to 29 (Scopus database).

Michael Gelinsky
(Technische Universität Dresden, Germany)

Michael Gelinsky, FBSE, is professor and head of the Centre for Translational Bone, Joint and Soft Tissue Research at the Faculty of Medicine of the Technical University of Dresden, Germany (https://tu-dresden.de/med/tfo). He is currently the President of the German Society for Biomaterials (DGBM) and member of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Biofabriction (ISBF).

Jelena Rnjak-Kovacina
(University of New South Wales, Australia)

Dr Jelena Rnjak-Kovacina is a Scientia Associate Professor and ARC Future Fellow at the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, UNSW Sydney. Her research interests are at the interface of biology and engineering, focusing on the development of biomimetic biomaterials that direct cell interactions for enhanced vascularisation and treatment of cardiovascular disease. She completed her doctoral degree in Anthony Weiss' lab at the University of Sydney and postdoctoral training in David Kaplan’s group at Tufts University in Boston.
She joined UNSW in 2014 where her research has been supported by funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Heart Foundation, the National Health & Medical Research Council and NSW Health. Her work has been recognised through multiple awards, including most recently being named the NSW Early Career Researcher of the Year in the 2020 NSW Premier's Prizes for Science & Engineering and receiving the 2021 Ministerial Award for Rising Stars in Cardiovascular Research.
She participates in the medtech sector through a range of activities including her role as the Vice President of the Australasian Society for Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering, as a board member of the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance Biomedical Engineering Flagship, and through editorial board roles at multiple international journals.

Andrea O'Connor
(University of Melbourne, Australia)

Professor Andrea O’Connor, PhD, FIChemE is the Shanahan Chair in Frontier Medical Solutions and a Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at the University of Melbourne and the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery. She is a co-Director of the Victorian Medtech Skills and Device Hub and leads the Tissue Engineering Group in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Her research focuses on design, synthesis and fabrication of biomaterials, porous materials and antimicrobial nanomaterials. She teaches biomedical engineering subjects including Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells. Prof. O’Connor collaborates with clinicians, scientists, hospitals, medical research institutes and medical device companies to address clinical problems.

Arghya Paul
(The University of Western Ontario, Canada)

Research Areas: Nanoparticles, Drug Delivery, Tissue Engineering, Hydrogels, Regenerative Medicine

Milica Radisic
(University of Toronto, Canada)

Dr. Milica Radisic is a Professor at the University of Toronto, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Organ-on-a-Chip Engineering and a Senior Scientist at the Toronto General Research Institute. She is also Director of the NSERC CREATE Training Program in Organ-on-a-Chip Engineering & Entrepreneurship and a co-lead for the Center for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada-Academy of Science, Canadian Academy of Engineering, the American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering, Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine Society as well as Biomedical Engineering Society. She was a recipient of the MIT Technology Review Top 35 Under 35, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, NSERC E.W.R Steacie Fellowship, YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, Killam Fellowship, Acta Biomaterialia Silver Medal, and Humboldt Research Award to name a few. Her research focuses on organ-on-a-chip engineering and development of new biomaterials that promote healing and attenuate scarring. She developed new methods to mature iPSC derived cardiac tissues using electrical stimulation. She is an Executive Editor for ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, Senior Consulting Editor for the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, a reviewing editor for eLife and a member of the editorial board of another 8 journals. She served on the Board of Directors for Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, Canadian Biomaterials Society and McMaster University Alumni Association. She organized Keystone, EMBO and ECI conferences and numerous sessions at TERMIS and BMES meetings. She served as a Scientific Officer for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and member of review panels for CIHR, NIH and Israel Ministry of Education. She is the Chair of Investment Committee for Serbia Innovation Fund. She is a co-founder of two companies TARA Biosystems (acquired by Valo Health), that uses human engineered heart tissues in drug development and safety testing, and Quthero that advances regenerative hydrogels. Her work has been presented in over 260 publications, garnering over 20,000 citations with an h-index of 71. Her publications appeared in Cell, Nature Materials, Nature Methods, Nature Protocols, Nature Communications, PNAS etc.

Todd Hoare
(McMaster University, Canada)

Todd Hoare is the Canada Research Chair in Engineered Smart Materials and a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at McMaster University as well as the Director of the NSERC CREATE Training Program for Controlled Release Leaders (ContRoL). Dr. Hoare’s work on “smart” environmentally-responsive hydrogels, in situ-gelling/printable hydrogel materials, and nanoscale drug delivery vehicles has been profiled by Popular Science, Maclean’s, and BBC for its potential in solving clinical challenges through innovative materials design. He is a Fellow of the International Union of Societies in Biomaterials Science and Engineering (IUS-BSE), was awarded an NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship (2018), has been cited as part of the 2018 Class of Influential Researchers by Industrial Engineering & Chemistry Research, and has received the 2016 Early Career Investigator Award from the Canadian Biomaterials Society and the 2009 John Charles Polanyi Prize in Chemistry in recognition of his research. He is also the co-recipient of the 2023 NSERC Brockhouse Prize for Interdisciplinary Research, Canada’s highest honor for collaborative research in the natural sciences and engineering, for his development of innovative drug delivery vehicles in collaboration with clinicians. Dr. Hoare is a past-president of the Canadian Biomaterials Society (2016-2017) and the Canadian Chapter of the Controlled Release Society (2013-2015), and is currently the Chair of the Macromolecular Science and Engineering Division of the Chemical Institute of Canada. He also serves as one of the Executive Editors of Chemical Engineering Journal (where he leads the biomaterials section) and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Biomacromolecules.

Sang Jin Lee
(The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China)

Prof. Sangjin Lee obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Dental Laboratory Science from Catholic University of Pusan, Korea in 2012; a Master of Science degree in Maxillofacial Biomedical Engineering and a PhD degree in Dental Materials from Kyung Hee University, Korea in 2014 and 2017 respectively. Before joining the Applied Oral Sciences and Community Dental Care of our Faculty, Prof. Lee was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the University of Illinois at Chicago. Currently, He is generating new dental biomaterials to fit in dentistry for clinical application. Currently, Dr Lee is generating new dental biomaterials to fit in dentistry for clinical application.

Sruthi C S
(Indian Institute of Science, India)

A Ph.D. student specializing in 3D Bioprinting for Tissue Engineering. I am developing bioink formulations using biopolymers for soft tissue regeneration.

Mark Skylar-Scott
(Stanford University, USA)

Mark Skylar-Scott is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford, a member of the Basic Science and Engineering Initiative at the Children’s Heart Center and a Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator. Mark Skylar-Scott received his B.A. and M.Eng. degrees in Engineering at the University of Cambridge in 2007. For his doctoral thesis under the guidance of Prof. M. Fatih Yanik at MIT, he developed multiphoton photopatterning techniques to print full length proteins on 2D surfaces and in 3D scaffolds to probe and direct neural and vascular growth. For his postdoctoral research at Harvard and the Wyss Institute with Prof. Jennifer Lewis, he performed 3D bioprinting of thick and vascularized tissues, and created new high-throughput multimaterial multinozzle 3D printing systems. In 2022, he received the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award towards his goals to develop new 3D printing hardware, wetware, and software to accelerate cardiovascular tissue engineering towards thick, vascularized, and functionally therapeutic organs.

Yan Yan Shery Huang
(University of Cambridge, United Kingdom)

Prof. Yan Yan Shery Huang is Professor of Bioengineering, leading the Biointerface Group at Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (FIMMM)-UK; Associate Editor of ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, and Bio-Design and Manufacturing. Shery completed her MEng degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Imperial College London, and PhD degree in Physics (Biological & Soft Systems) from University of Cambridge, UK.

Daniel Shiwarski
(University of Pittsburgh, USA)

Dr. Shiwarski received a B.S. in Cell Biology and Biochemistry from Bucknell University and a Ph.D. in Biology and Neuroscience from Carnegie Mellon University. During his doctoral research, he investigated how opioid receptor membrane trafficking events influence pain inhibition and opioid addiction using advanced live cell fluorescence imaging and analysis techniques to track exocytic and endocytic events. In 2017 he began a postdoctoral fellowship in Dr. Adam Feinberg’s Lab in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University where he has: 1) studied how biomechanical forces are essential for cellular and tissue physiology by developing a fluorescence-based nanomechanical biosensor to map real-time changes in cell and tissue strain, 2) was a key contributor on the development of the 3D bioprinting technology FRESH 2.0, which provided the ability to print unmodified collagen into functional components of the human heart, and 3) designed and published a series of open-source hardware and software platforms for 3D bioprinting, bi-axial mechanical testing, and in-process monitoring for additive manufacturing. Dr. Shiwarski has a broad background in cell biology, quantitative imaging, and tissue engineering with specific expertise in live cell fluorescence imaging, cellular biosensors, computational image analysis, 3D bioprinting, and cellular biomechanics. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh in Bioengineering and Medicine where he focuses on engineering FRESH printed ECM-based microfluidic scaffolds as a platform technology for vascular tissue engineering that will set the foundation for studying how vascular smooth muscle cell differentiation, ECM composition, mechanical properties, and fluid flow contribute to hypertensive vascular disease.

Takayoshi Nakano
(Osaka University, Japan)

Takayoshi Nakano has been a professor at Osaka University since 2008 and a distinguished professor since 2017. He received his Ph.D. degree from Osaka University in 1996. He has been the director at Anisotropic Design & Additive Manufacturing Research Center, Osaka University since 2020, the president of Japanese Institute of Additive Manufacturing since 2022 and a member of the Science Council of Japan since 2023. In addition, he is a fellow of International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science & Engineering. He was the president of Japanese Society for Bone Morphometry in 2017 and the Japan Institute of Metals and Materials in 2021 and 2022. He aims to establish a new academic field, “Materials Science based on Anisotropy”.

Aleksandr Ovsianikov
(TU Wien [Technische Universitaet Wien], Austria)

Prof. Aleksandr Ovsianikov is a head of the research group 3D Printing and Biofabrication at the TU Wien (Vienna, Austria). He is a member of the Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration (http://www.tissue-regeneration.at), Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS), European Society of Biomaterials (ESB) and International Society for Biofabrication (ISBF).
Dr. Ovsianikov has background in laser physics and material processing with femtosecond lasers. His research is dealing with the use of additive manufacturing technologies and bioprinting for tissue engineering and regeneration. A particular focus of his current research is the development of multiphoton lithography technologies for engineering of biomimetic 3D cell culture matrices, realization of novel tissue engineering scaffolds and microfluidic applications. Dr. Ovsianikov was awarded a prestigious Starting Grant in 2012 and a Consolidator Grant in 2017 from the European Research Council (ERC) for projects aimed at these topics (http://amt.tuwien.ac.at/Ovsianikov).
Since 2004 Dr. Ovsianikov delivered multiple invited and keynote lectures, and has contributed to over 100 publications. Together with Prof. Mironov and Prof. Yoo he is an editor of a living book project “3D Printing and Biofabrication” published by Springer in cooperation with TERMIS.
Dr. Ovsianikov is also a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) a TU Wien spin-off UpNano GbmH (https://www.upnano.at), aimed a commercialization of high-resolution 3D printing and Bioprinting, which received multiple awards, including the Austrian Startup of the year 2019.

Tim Woodfield
(University of Otago, New Zealand)

Prof. Tim B. F. Woodfield, Ph.D. is Professor of Regenerative Medicine in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He leads the Christchurch Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering (CReaTE) Group and is Director of the University of Otago Centre for Bioengineering & Nanomedicine. His research platform involves development of novel bioinks and bioresins, biofabrication, spheroid bioassembly and additive manufacturing of medical devices applied to regenerative medicine of cartilage and bone, advanced 3D in vitro tissue culture models, and high throughput screening.
He has published over 150 peer reviewed journal articles, book chapters and published conference proceedings and has received a number of awards and fellowships including a prestigious Rutherford Discovery Fellowship from the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apärangi and the University of Otago Research Gold Medal. He received the 2020 Research Excellence Award from the Australasian Society for Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering (ASBTE), and was awarded Fellow, Biomaterials Science & Engineering (FBSE) in 2020 by the International Union of Societies in Biomaterials Science and Engineering (IUSBSE).
He has attracted over NZ$28 million in competitive research funding as a Principal or Associate Investigator through grants from the Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment, Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apärangi, New Zealand Health Research Council, AO Foundation, as well as the European Commission (EU-FP7).
He is the current President of the International Society for Biofabrication (ISBF) and former President of the Australasian Society for Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering (ASBTE). He sits on the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society Asia Pacific (TERMIS-AP) Council and on the Executive Editorial Board for Biofabrication. He is also an Editorial Board Member for Advanced Healthcare Materials and APL Bioengineering and Associate Editor for Frontiers in Bioengineering & Biotechnology.

Scott Hollister
(Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, USA)

Dr. Scott Hollister is the Patsy and Alan Dorris Chair in Pediatric Technology and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He directs the Center for 3D Medical Fabrication as well as the Tissue Engineering and Mechanics Laboratory at Georgia Tech. Dr. Hollister’s research focuses on the computational design, 3D printing fabrication and characterization of biomaterial devices and scaffolds for tissue reconstruction. He was co-inventor of an airway splint in both resorbable and permanent versions that to date has been implanted and saved the lives of 25 children with Tracheobronchomalacia. This work has been featured in a number of mainstream media outlets including The Today Show, NPR, CNN, the New Yorker, the Doctors Show, CBS Morning News and USA Today. He was awarded the 2013 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Innovation award for the airway splint together with Dr. Glenn Green.

Monica Laronda
(Northwestern University, USA)

Monica M. Laronda is the Director of Research for the Fertility & Hormone Preservation & Restoration Program at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. She is the Gesualdo Family Research Scholar at the Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University. She has been awarded several National Institutes of Health grants to study foundational biology and to engineer regenerative techniques for both ovaries and testes.

Weikang Xu
(Institute of biological and Medical Engineering, Guangdong Acamedy of Sciences, China)

As the leader of the intelligent implant interventional materials team of the unit, he is mainly engaged in the research of new bone/dental implant materials, drug-controlled release microspheres, and blood purification materials, and presided over 9 projects including National Natural Science Foundation, postdoctoral Foundation, major projects of Guangdong Province and key research and development plan of Guangzhou City. He won the title of Outstanding Young Scientist of Guangdong Academy of Sciences. Published 11 SCI papers with one book/newsletter; The first/second inventor has obtained 27 authorized invention patents and applied for 4 PCT inventions; Participated in the development of 2 new products and the formulation of 1 technical standard. He is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Precision Medicine Application Society, an expert in the evaluation of Guangdong Province and Guangzhou City, and an external master's supervisor at the South China University of Technology.

Seiji Yamaguchi
(Chubu University, Japan)

My research field is surface modification confering bone bonding and antibacterial activity on titanium and its alloy.

Riccardo Levato
(University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands)

Riccardo Levato is Associate Professor of Translational Bioengineering and Biomaterials at the Department of Clinical Sciences (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University), and at the Department of Orthopaedics of the University Medical Center Utrecht. He is also Principal Investigator at the Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht. His work focuses on the development of novel biofabrication technologies for the generation of advanced in vitro tissue models and regenerative engineered tissues. His group developed high-performance light-based bioprinting techniques, including the first demonstration of volumetric bioprinting.
Prior to moving to Utrecht, he worked in several research groups across Europe: 3Bs, University of Minho (Portugal); BioMatLab, Technical University of Milan (Italy), Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC, Spain), and he holds a cum laude PhD in Biomedical Engineering from IBEC and from the Technical University of Catalonia. In 2020 he was awarded a Starting grant from the European Research Council on the development of a novel volumetric bioprinting technology for organoid research and to engineer functional bone marrow analogues in vitro. Since 2021, he is coordinator of a European consortium (ENLIGHT, Future and Emerging Technologies scheme, European Innovation Council pilot), aiming at developing biofabricated pancreas to study treatments for diabetes.

He published more than 70 peer-reviewed articles international journals, and he was conferred several awards including the 2016 Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Young Investigator Award, the 2021 Jean Leray award from the European Society for Biomaterials, the 2022 Robert Brown award from the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society, and the 2023 Mid-career Investigator Award from the International Society for Biofabrication (ISBF). Riccardo is also serving on the Board of Directors of ISBF.

Marcy Zenobi-Wong
(ETH Zurich, Switzerland)

): Dr. Marcy Zenobi-Wong is a full Professor of Tissue Engineering and Biofabrication at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. She obtained her PhD from Stanford University and then did a post-doctoral fellowship in the Orthopaedic Research Laboratories, University of Michigan. In 2012, she moved to the Department of Health Sciences & Technology at ETH Zürich. The Zenobi-Wong research group is focused on the development of advanced biomaterials for tissue regeneration using biofabrication technologies including bioprinting, two-photon polymerization, casting and electrospinning. Her team recently introduced Filamented Light Biofabrication (FLIght). Dr. Zenobi-Wong is the author of over 120 peer-reviewed publications and co-inventor on four licensed patents. She has held leadership roles at the Swiss Society for Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, the International Society of Biofabrication (ISBF) and is past director of the Institute for Biomechanics, ETH Zürich. She serves on the editorial board for Biofabricationand Advanced Healthcare Materials.

Riccardo Levato
(University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands)

Riccardo Levato is Associate Professor of Translational Bioengineering and Biomaterials at the Department of Clinical Sciences (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University), and at the Department of Orthopaedics of the University Medical Center Utrecht. He is also Principal Investigator at the Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht. His work focuses on the development of novel biofabrication technologies for the generation of advanced in vitro tissue models and regenerative engineered tissues. His group developed high-performance light-based bioprinting techniques, including the first demonstration of volumetric bioprinting.
Prior to moving to Utrecht, he worked in several research groups across Europe: 3Bs, University of Minho (Portugal); BioMatLab, Technical University of Milan (Italy), Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC, Spain), and he holds a cum laude PhD in Biomedical Engineering from IBEC and from the Technical University of Catalonia. In 2020 he was awarded a Starting grant from the European Research Council on the development of a novel volumetric bioprinting technology for organoid research and to engineer functional bone marrow analogues in vitro. Since 2021, he is coordinator of a European consortium (ENLIGHT, Future and Emerging Technologies scheme, European Innovation Council pilot), aiming at developing biofabricated pancreas to study treatments for diabetes.

He published more than 70 peer-reviewed articles international journals, and he was conferred several awards including the 2016 Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Young Investigator Award, the 2021 Jean Leray award from the European Society for Biomaterials, the 2022 Robert Brown award from the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society, and the 2023 Mid-career Investigator Award from the International Society for Biofabrication (ISBF). Riccardo is also serving on the Board of Directors of ISBF.

Parth Chansoria
(ETH Zurich, Switzerland)

Parth is a Senior Scientist (Ambizione and Spark grantee) at the Tissue Engineering and Biofabrication (TEB) group at ETH Zurich. He was previously a Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellow in the TEB group at ETH until July 2023. 

His research at ETHZ involves the use of Structured Light for biofabrication of tissue and grafts for regenerative purposes. Broadly, his research can be characterized into three major domains:  

Filamented light biofabrication of highly aligned tissues
Volumetric bioprinting of complex multimaterial shapes
New isotonic collagen-​based photoresins for biofabrication
In his previous research, he developed biomimetic patches for the treatment of dynamic organ pathologies during his first postdoc at UNC Chapel Hill, USA, and an ultrasound-​assisted cell patterning process for anisotropic tissue biofabrication during his PhD at NC State, USA.

He has amassed a total of 6 patents and invention disclosures, and his research has been published in reputed peer-​reviewed journals.

Qi Gu
(Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, China)

Dr Gu is currently appointed as a Full Professor, Director of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Engineering Lab for Intelligent Organ Manufacturing and group leader of Bioinspired Engineering, at Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration (ISCR) | Institute of Zoology (IOZ), CAS. He has received interdisciplinary training in materials chemistry and stem cells. Dr. Gu's initial doctoral research (2009-2013) focused on stem cells at Northeast Agricultural University and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Subsequently, he completed a second PhD (2013-2017) in Chemistry at University of Wollongong (UOW) under the supervision of Prof Gordon Wallace and Prof Jemery Crook. Following this, he was appointed as an Associate Professor at IOZ, CAS , where he established his lab, Bioinspired Engineering. At the end of 2019, he was promoted to the position of Full Professor. Dr Gu’s laboratory aims to develop novel biomaterials and advanced technologies including 3D/4D bioprinting to regulate cell fate spatiotemporally, fabricate 3D organs functionally, and create therapeutic methods based on the mechanism of developmental biology. The ultimate goal is to deepen the understanding of what is life.

Qi Gu
(Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, China)

Dr Gu is currently appointed as a Full Professor, Director of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Engineering Lab for Intelligent Organ Manufacturing and group leader of Bioinspired Engineering, at Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration (ISCR) | Institute of Zoology (IOZ), CAS. He has received interdisciplinary training in materials chemistry and stem cells. Dr. Gu's initial doctoral research (2009-2013) focused on stem cells at Northeast Agricultural University and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Subsequently, he completed a second PhD (2013-2017) in Chemistry at University of Wollongong (UOW) under the supervision of Prof Gordon Wallace and Prof Jemery Crook. Following this, he was appointed as an Associate Professor at IOZ, CAS , where he established his lab, Bioinspired Engineering. At the end of 2019, he was promoted to the position of Full Professor. Dr Gu’s laboratory aims to develop novel biomaterials and advanced technologies including 3D/4D bioprinting to regulate cell fate spatiotemporally, fabricate 3D organs functionally, and create therapeutic methods based on the mechanism of developmental biology. The ultimate goal is to deepen the understanding of what is life.

Arnold Lining Ju
(University of Sydney, Australia)

Dr Arnold Ju received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, USA. In 2014, he joined the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne as a junior postdoc; and relocated in 2015 to Sydney, to join the Heart Research Institute. In early 2020, Dr Ju joined the University of Sydney (USYD)’s new BME school as a senior lecturer and started up the Mechanobiology and Biomechanics Laboratory (MBL).

Dr Ju currently holds an Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship, working at the interface between mechanical engineering and mechanobiology. His team has pioneered multiple biomechanical nanotools, including blood clot-on-chip microfluidic devices (Nature Materials 2019), single-cell biomembrane force probes (Nature Communications 2018), and 4-D haemodynamic modelling (Nature 2021). Recently, he was awarded the prestigious mid-career Snow Fellowship.

His vision is to build novel platforms that integrate advanced biomanufacturing, high-throughput biomechanical manipulation, and artificial intelligence for biobank data processing. His track record spans developing, characterising, and evaluating innovations of 3D organoids and organ-on-chips, mechanobiology, imaging probes and biosensors, bio-nanotechnology, and image-based deep learning. These large facilities should provide significant benefits to interdisciplinary research in biofabrication, biomechanics and point-of-care microtechnologies.

Manuela Gomes
(3B's Research Group, University of Minho, Portugal)

Manuela E. Gomes is Associate Professor and Vice-President of the I3Bs Research Institute of the University of Minho, Portugal. She was a founder member of the 3B’s Research Group and she was the first President of the I3Bs Research Institute, funded in 2018. Her research interests currently focus on tendon tissue engineering strategies, namely in the development of scaffold materials and bioinks based on biodegradable natural origin polymers, stem cells sourcing and differentiation (using biochemical and physical methods, particularly magnetic stimulus). Manuela Gomes has been involved in numerous European and national/regional projects as PI or team member; She currently coordinates a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC CoG) - MagTendon, among others. Manuela Gomes is editor of 3 books and co-editor of the Tissue Engineering Encyclopaedia (Elsevier, 2019) and author of 235 full papers, 51 book chapters, 8 patents and has delivered 60 lectures in international conferences. Manuela Gomes is Fellow of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (FTERM) and Chair-elect of the TERMIS-EU; She is the European Orthopaedic Research Society (EORS) Embassador in Portugal

Andrew Daly
(National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland)

Dr Daly is an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Galway. His research focuses on bioprinting tissue and organ models with advanced physiological structure and function. In particular, this work focuses on developing bioprinting technologies inspired by organogenesis.

Dr Daly was awarded a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Trinity College Dublin in 2018, where he developed bioprinted implants for joint resurfacing. For this work, he was awarded the Engineer’s Ireland Biomedical Engineering Research Medal in 2018. Following this, he moved to the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania for his postdoctoral training. In 2020, he was awarded an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship to develop bioprinted cardiac disease models for screening of miRNA therapeutics. In January 2021, he started his research group at the University of Galway and in 2022 he was awarded a European Research Council Starting Grant.

Dr Daly’s research is highly cited and has been published in the top journals in the field, including Nature Communications, Nature Reviews Materials, Cell, Biomaterials, Advanced Science, Acta Biomaterialia, Advanced Healthcare Materials, and Biofabrication. To date, he has has received over €1.8 million in research funding.

Jason Burdick
(University of Colorado Boulder, USA)

Jason Burdick is the Bowman Endowed Professor in the BioFrontiers Institute and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology he began his own group at the University of Pennsylvania in 2005. After 16 years at Penn, Jason moved his group to the University of Colorado Boulder. The Burdick Biomaterials and Biofabrication Laboratory focuses on the design of new biomaterials that can be processed through fabrication methodologies to meet the needs of medicine, ranging from drug delivery and translational therapeutics to tissue models. Jason currently has over 310 peer-reviewed publications and 240 invited presentations, he is on the editorial boards of numerous journals including Biofabrication, Advanced Healthcare Materials, and International Journal of Bioprinting, and he has been recognized through awards such as a Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering, an American Heart Association Established Investigator Award, the Clemson Award for Basic Science through the Society for Biomaterials, and the Acta Biomaterialia Silver Medal Award. Further, he has been elected as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, and as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Finally, he has founded several companies to translate technology developed in his laboratory towards clinical application.

Rui M. A. Domingues
(3B's Research Group, University of Minho, Portugal)

Rui M. A. Domingues is a Senior Researcher and Invited Assistant Professor at I3Bs – Research Institute for Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Portugal. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Aveiro (Portugal), and has studied and worked at different institutions in Europe and US, namely Institute of Chemical Technology (Czech Republic), ENCE (Spain) and University of Texas at Austin (US). His research has focused on the development of functional biomaterials and biofabrication concepts for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications (TERM). His main research interest is on exploring different types of nanoparticles, in particular cellulose nanocrystals, magnetic and molecularly imprinted nanoparticles to produce nanostructured biomaterials with biomimetic features to control cell fate in TERM strategies. During his career he has widely applied these concepts on the development of bioengineered systems, particularly targeting tendon tissue regeneration and in vitro modeling.

Andrew Daly
(National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland)

Dr Daly is an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Galway. His research focuses on bioprinting tissue and organ models with advanced physiological structure and function. In particular, this work focuses on developing bioprinting technologies inspired by organogenesis.

Dr Daly was awarded a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Trinity College Dublin in 2018, where he developed bioprinted implants for joint resurfacing. For this work, he was awarded the Engineer’s Ireland Biomedical Engineering Research Medal in 2018. Following this, he moved to the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania for his postdoctoral training. In 2020, he was awarded an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship to develop bioprinted cardiac disease models for screening of miRNA therapeutics. In January 2021, he started his research group at the University of Galway and in 2022 he was awarded a European Research Council Starting Grant.

Dr Daly’s research is highly cited and has been published in the top journals in the field, including Nature Communications, Nature Reviews Materials, Cell, Biomaterials, Advanced Science, Acta Biomaterialia, Advanced Healthcare Materials, and Biofabrication. To date, he has has received over €1.8 million in research funding.

Maria Chatzinikolaidou
(Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH) Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser 100, N. Plastira str. Vassilika Vouton GR-70013 Heraklion, Greece VAT 090101655., Greece)

Dr. Maria Chatzinikolaidou, FBSE, FTERM, is an Associate Professor of Biomaterials in Bioengineering and Head of the Laboratory for Biomaterials in Tissue Engineering at the Department of Materials Science and Technology at the University of Crete (https://www.materials.uoc.gr/el/general/personnel/mchatzin.html), and affiliated faculty member at Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH). Her research interests focus on the development of biomaterials and scaffolds for tissue engineering applications including bone, dental, cardiovascular, and the validation of their in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility, functionality and biomechanical characteristics.
Dr. Chatzinikolaidou is actively involved in several competitive national and international projects, is author of >90 publications in international peer-reviewed journals, 4 book chapters, >180 peer-reviewed conference abstracts, and inventor of 4 patents on osteoinductive implants. She was elected member of the Executive Board of the Hellenic Society for Biomaterials and served as vice president in the terms 2015-2018 and 2022-now. She served as chair of the 28th Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB 2017) held in Athens, and program chair of the TERMIS-EU 2019 conference held in Rhodes in Greece. She is a Fellow in Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE, elected 2020) of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering (IUS-BSE) and International Fellow of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (FTERM, elected 2023). Since 2022 she is member of the Nomination Committee of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) EU chapter. She is an editorial board member in Tissue Engineering, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Regenerative Biomaterials, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Journal of Materials Science Materials in Medicine etc. She teaches lectures on Biomaterials, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, and Tissue Engineering in undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Crete and other Universities in Grece, and is currently supervisor of four PhD candidates and three Master’s students.

Aleksandr Ovsianikov
(Technische Universität Wien, Austria)

Prof. Aleksandr Ovsianikov is a head of the research group 3D Printing and Biofabrication at the TU Wien (Vienna, Austria). He is a member of the Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration (http://www.tissue-regeneration.at), Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS), European Society of Biomaterials (ESB) and International Society for Biofabrication (ISBF).
Dr. Ovsianikov has background in laser physics and material processing with femtosecond lasers. His research is dealing with the use of additive manufacturing technologies and bioprinting for tissue engineering and regeneration. A particular focus of his current research is the development of multiphoton lithography technologies for engineering of biomimetic 3D cell culture matrices, realization of novel tissue engineering scaffolds and microfluidic applications. Dr. Ovsianikov was awarded a prestigious Starting Grant in 2012 and a Consolidator Grant in 2017 from the European Research Council (ERC) for projects aimed at these topics (http://amt.tuwien.ac.at/Ovsianikov).
Since 2004 Dr. Ovsianikov delivered multiple invited and keynote lectures, and has contributed to over 100 publications. Together with Prof. Mironov and Prof. Yoo he is an editor of a living book project “3D Printing and Biofabrication” published by Springer in cooperation with TERMIS.
Dr. Ovsianikov is also a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) a TU Wien spin-off UpNano GbmH (https://www.upnano.at), aimed a commercialization of high-resolution 3D printing and Bioprinting, which received multiple awards, including the Austrian Startup of the year 2019.

Koichi Nakayama
(Saga University, Japan)

​Koichi Nakayama, MD, PhD, is Professor and Chairman at the Department of Regenerative Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Japan. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. Dr. Nakayama is currently the president of the Cell Aggregation Meeting and also serves as a committee member for the Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine. He received his MD from Kyushu University, Faculty of Medicine and his PhD from the Graduate School of the same institution. After specializing and working in orthopedic surgery at Fukuoka Red Cross hospital, National Hospital Organization Kyushu Medical Center, and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery of the Kyushu University Hospital, Nakayama went on to lead a project on bio-rapid prototyping funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) at Kyushu University. This work led to the invention of a pioneering scaffold-free method for bio 3D printing, based on cell spheroids being deposited onto needle arrays at specific coordinates. In 2010 Nakayama co-founded Cyfuse Biomedical, where he currently is the scientific advisor. Together with Shibuya Kogyo, Cyfuse work on developing the bio 3D printer Regenova, as well as new biological products and solutions for drug testing and regenerative medicine. The company, together with Nakayama’s laboratory at Saga University and several Japanese and international partners are leading the way in scaffold-free bio 3D printed blood vessels, cartilage, liver, cardiac and neural tissues.

Sang Jin Lee
(Wake Forest School of Medicine, USA)

Dr. Sang Jin Lee currently holds a tenured position as a Professor at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea, in 2003. He went on to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship at the Laboratories for Tissue Engineering and Cellular Therapeutics at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston and the WFIRM, where he currently serves as a faculty member. In addition, he holds a cross-appointment to the Virginia Tech-WFU Biomedical Engineering and Science.

Dr. Lee has authored over 165 scientific publications and reviews, edited two textbooks, and written 37 chapters in several books. His research focus lies in biomaterials science, specifically in the field of biodegradable polymers and tunable hydrogels, with a deep understanding of key research areas for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. He and his team have successfully developed various biomaterial systems, including drug/protein delivery systems, nano/micro-scaled topographical features, and hybrid materials that have significantly improved cellular interactions by providing appropriate environmental cues.

His current research primarily focuses on developing a cutting-edge 3D bioprinting strategy capable of manufacturing complex, multi-cellular living tissue constructs. To establish a clinically relevant bioprinting workflow, his team has developed multiple biomaterial formulations as bioinks, which provide the tissue-specific biological microenvironment required for the successful delivery of cells to discrete locations within the 3D tissue architectures. These concerted efforts proved pivotal in securing the NASA Vascular Tissue Challenge win for the WFIRM team. By employing the 3D bioprinting strategy developed in his lab, the teams engineered thick, vascularized tissue constructs with tissue functions, ultimately securing 1st and 2nd prizes in the competition. Excitingly, the next step involves sending the engineered tissue samples into space to test potential mitigation strategies needed for long-term deep-space missions.

Since 2004, Dr. Lee has had the privilege of mentoring a total of 176 trainees from diverse career levels, including 20 graduate students, 33 postdoctoral fellows, 8 research trainees, 36 visiting scholars, 8 laboratory technicians, 13 undergraduate students, 30 summer internship undergraduate students, 3 high school internship students, and 27 international graduate students. As a mentor, he remains committed to continually improving his mentoring skills, leveraging various approaches to train and guide aspiring scientists, enabling them to pursue successful careers in science.

Aleksandr Ovsianikov
(Technische Universität Wien, Austria)

Prof. Aleksandr Ovsianikov is a head of the research group 3D Printing and Biofabrication at the TU Wien (Vienna, Austria). He is a member of the Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration (http://www.tissue-regeneration.at), Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS), European Society of Biomaterials (ESB) and International Society for Biofabrication (ISBF).
Dr. Ovsianikov has background in laser physics and material processing with femtosecond lasers. His research is dealing with the use of additive manufacturing technologies and bioprinting for tissue engineering and regeneration. A particular focus of his current research is the development of multiphoton lithography technologies for engineering of biomimetic 3D cell culture matrices, realization of novel tissue engineering scaffolds and microfluidic applications. Dr. Ovsianikov was awarded a prestigious Starting Grant in 2012 and a Consolidator Grant in 2017 from the European Research Council (ERC) for projects aimed at these topics (http://amt.tuwien.ac.at/Ovsianikov).
Since 2004 Dr. Ovsianikov delivered multiple invited and keynote lectures, and has contributed to over 100 publications. Together with Prof. Mironov and Prof. Yoo he is an editor of a living book project “3D Printing and Biofabrication” published by Springer in cooperation with TERMIS.
Dr. Ovsianikov is also a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) a TU Wien spin-off UpNano GbmH (https://www.upnano.at), aimed a commercialization of high-resolution 3D printing and Bioprinting, which received multiple awards, including the Austrian Startup of the year 2019.

Zhengwei You
(Donghua University, China)

Dr. Zhengwei You is a full professor at the State Key Laboratory of Chemical Fibers & Polymer Materials and the Chair of the Department of Composite Materials at Donghua University. He received his degrees of B.S. (2000) from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Ph.D. (2007) from Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. From 2007 to 2012, he conducted his postdoctoral research on biomaterials at Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining Donghua University in 2013, he was an innovation manager in Bayer MaterialScience. His current research involves smart polymers, elastomers, 3D printing, biomaterials, and elastic electronics. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers in journals such as Nature Medicine, Nature Communication, Advanced Materials and applied for more than 40 patents with 35 granted, and contributed two book chapters. He has delivered more than 50 invited lectures in international and national conferences. He currently serves as the director of Research Base of Textile Materials for Flexible Electronics and Biomedical Applications, China Textile Engineering Society, associate editor of the journal Smart Materials in Medicine, editorial board member of the journal Bioactive Materials, youth editorial committee member of the journals Materials China and Advanced Fiber Materials. He is the vice chairman of Biomaterials Advanced Manufacturing Branch of Chinese Society of Biomaterials, and a committee member of International Society of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine - Asian-Pacific Chapter and six national academic societies including 3D printing technology branch of China Medicinal Biotech Association, Medical Biomaterials and Technology Professional Committee of China Medical Education Association, Biomanufacturing Engineering Branch of Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society. He won 2022 Shanghai Top ten Youth Science and Technology Outstanding Contribution Award.

Liheng Cai
(University of Virginia, USA)

Liheng Cai is an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia (UVa), where he currently holds joint appointments to the Department of Materials Science and the Department of Chemical Engineering, and a courtesy appointment to the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He received his Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of North Carolina, where he researched with Prof. Michael Rubinstein on theoretical polymer physics and with Prof. Richard C. Boucher on experimental biophysics. During his postdoctoral training with Prof. David Weitz at Harvard, he switched to experiments. Since 2018, he has been leading Soft Biomatter Laboratory at UVa, where his group focuses on understanding and controlling the interactions between adaptive soft (bio)materials and living systems with the mission to solve challenges in sustainability and health. He received North Carolina Impact Award, Harvard Postdoctoral Award for Professional Development, ACS PRF Doctoral New Investigator Award, NSF CAREER Award, and was recognized as a Soft Matter Emerging Investigator

Jae-Won Shin
(University of Illinois at Chicago, USA)

Jae-Won Shin is Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine. Dr. Shin received his B.S. from the University of Sydney and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He did his postdoctoral training in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. Dr. Shin’s research team is employing interdisciplinary approaches to precisely build instructive niches and remodel host microenvironments for treatment of tissue injury, degeneration and fibrosis. This effort has led to multiple new fields, including digital design of engineered niches to direct single cell functions, single cell encapsulation therapy, and extracellular vesicle-matrix interactions. He is a recipient of a National Institutes of Health K99/R00 award, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) Rising Star Award and Advanced Biomanufacturing (ABioM) Junior Investigator Award by the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).

David Weitz
(Harvard University, USA)

Weitz received his PhD in physics from Harvard University and then joined Exxon Research and Engineering Company, where he worked for nearly 18 years. He then became a professor of physics at the University of Pennsylvania and moved to Harvard at the end of the last millennium as professor of physics and applied physics. He leads a group studying soft matter science with a focus on materials science, biophysics, microfluidics and flow in porous media. Several startup companies have come from his lab to commercialize research concepts.

Mark Skylar-Scott
(Stanford University, USA)

Mark Skylar-Scott is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford, a member of the Basic Science and Engineering Initiative at the Children’s Heart Center and a Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator. Mark Skylar-Scott received his B.A. and M.Eng. degrees in Engineering at the University of Cambridge in 2007. For his doctoral thesis under the guidance of Prof. M. Fatih Yanik at MIT, he developed multiphoton photopatterning techniques to print full length proteins on 2D surfaces and in 3D scaffolds to probe and direct neural and vascular growth. For his postdoctoral research at Harvard and the Wyss Institute with Prof. Jennifer Lewis, he performed 3D bioprinting of thick and vascularized tissues, and created new high-throughput multimaterial multinozzle 3D printing systems. In 2022, he received the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award towards his goals to develop new 3D printing hardware, wetware, and software to accelerate cardiovascular tissue engineering towards thick, vascularized, and functionally therapeutic organs.

Liheng Cai
(University of Virginia, USA)

Liheng Cai is an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia (UVa), where he currently holds joint appointments to the Department of Materials Science and the Department of Chemical Engineering, and a courtesy appointment to the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He received his Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of North Carolina, where he researched with Prof. Michael Rubinstein on theoretical polymer physics and with Prof. Richard C. Boucher on experimental biophysics. During his postdoctoral training with Prof. David Weitz at Harvard, he switched to experiments. Since 2018, he has been leading Soft Biomatter Laboratory at UVa, where his group focuses on understanding and controlling the interactions between adaptive soft (bio)materials and living systems with the mission to solve challenges in sustainability and health. He received North Carolina Impact Award, Harvard Postdoctoral Award for Professional Development, ACS PRF Doctoral New Investigator Award, NSF CAREER Award, and was recognized as a Soft Matter Emerging Investigator

Uijung Yong
(Pohang University of Science and Technology, Korea, Republic of)

Uijung Yong is a postdoctoral researcher affiliated with the Future IT Innovation Laboratory (i-Lab) at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Republic of Korea. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. degree in Convergence IT Engineering, both obtained from POSTECH. In 2023, he joined the i-Lab, where his current research is focused on developing tissue-sensor platforms for reliable preclinical testing. If you wish to contact Dr. Yong, you can reach him via email at syzxc@postech.ac.kr.

Mario Milazzo
(Università di Pisa, Italy)

Mario Milazzo is an Assistant Professor at University of Pisa where he graduated in 2010 in Mechanical Engineering. He received a PhD in BioRobotics in 2016 at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. His research interests cover a large number of fields including multiscale modeling, mechanics, biomaterials, mechatronics, and industrial robotics. He has been the recipient of the 3-year Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA). In parallel to the academic activity, he has been involved, both as a Project Manager and Team Leader, in several projects with national and international companies (e.g., Ge, Brembo, Magneti Marelli, Piaggio).

Geetha Manivasagam
(Vellore Institute of Technology, India)

As a physicist, material scientist, and biomedical engineer, Dr. Geetha Manivasagam's academic labels extend beyond the conventional STEM fields. As the Founding Director of the Center for Biomaterials, Cellular & Molecular Theranostics (CBCMT) at Vellore Institute of Technology, she has been at the forefront of research innovation, leading a dynamic group of researchers from across the country. Her team of esteemed faculty members from diverse fields, including mechanical, physics, chemistry, biotechnology, and nanomaterials, conduct groundbreaking research in tissue engineering, medical implants, and cellular and molecular theranostic techniques. Geetha's vision and leadership were instrumental in the establishment of state-of-the-art infrastructure, including cutting-edge tissue engineering, cellular & molecular theranostics, and bioprinting labs, that have facilitated significant contributions to the field. With 10 faculty members and 50 research scholars, the center is a hub of international collaboration and translational research, hosting several national and international scientists and students.
Geetha orchestrates research in the development of biomaterials with intrinsic smart properties, catering to diverse medical applications such as implantology, cancer therapy, drug delivery, theranostics, and more. Her center serves as a breeding ground for cutting-edge technologies, including additive manufacturing for scaffold and implant construction, microfluidics for pain-free drug delivery, small molecule-mediated cancer therapy, nanotechnology-based biosensors, and other innovative advancements. Throughout her tenure at VIT, she has established state-of-the-art biomaterials labs, spearheaded numerous biomaterial projects, and mentored several students & faculties while introducing pioneering courses bridging material science with biomedicine. With over 11,000 citations and an h-index of 37, her publications serve as valuable references for researchers worldwide, contributing to a thriving scientific community focused on knowledge sharing.
As a committed scientific leader, Dr. Geetha organizes & participates in conferences, lectures, workshops, and numerous other knowledge development programs. As a result, she has received multiple awards, including the International Women Scientist Award and the Fulbright Award for professional excellence. She has been ranked as the No. 1 scientist in Materials Science by MHRD from 2009-2019 and listed in the Top 2% of scientists in the country in Materials Science as per the analysis performed by Stanford University. She is also a reviewer for numerous international journals in the field of Biomaterials and Surface Engineering. Additionally, she has served as chair/co-chair and keynote speaker for several conferences and delivered invited lectures at various international and national events. She has a bachelor's in physics and honed her skills under prominent scientists and academicians in India before pursuing her Ph.D. from Anna University and postdoc training from Clemson University, USA.

Maria-Pau Ginebra
(Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Spain)

Maria-Pau Ginebra is Full Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona, where she leads the Biomaterials, Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering Group. She is also a research associate at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC). Her research focuses on the development of new biomaterials for tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery, with special emphasis on bone regeneration. She has made pioneering contributions to the development of new biofabrication strategies, bio-inspired substrates and 3D printing of implants for regenerative medicine. She has led numerous competitive projects, including an ERC Advanced Grant, as well as translational projects to the clinic and industry. In 2013 she founded the spin-off company Mimetis Biomaterials. She has authored more than 250 scientific articles. She has received numerous awards, including the Racquel LeGeros Award from the International Society for Ceramics in Medicine and the Klaas de Groot Award from the European Society for Biomaterials, as well as the ICREA Academia award from the Generalitat de Catalunya. She is a Fellow Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE) of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering (IUSBSE).

Seunghun Lee
(Korea Institute of Materials Science, Korea, Republic of)

Seunghun Lee received the B.S. and M.S. in nuclear engineering from Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea, in 2006 and 2008, respectively. And he received the Ph.D. degree in physics from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea, in 2019. Since 2008, he has been with Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon, Republic of Korea, where he is currently a principal researcher. His current research is atmospheric pressure plasma applications such as plasma patch for skin therapy, disinfection HVAC system.

Dong Sung Kim
(POSTECH, Korea, Republic of)

Dong Sung Kim is a Mueunjae Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), and is a member of Young Korean Academy of Science and Technology. He is also appointed as adjunct professor at both the Department of Chemical Engineering and the School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering at POSTECH. Additionally, he serves as an adjunct professor at the Yonsei Institute of Convergence Technology, affiliated with Yonsei University. His primary research interests lie in the realm of micro- and nano-manufacturing processes, encompassing advanced electrospinning techniques and the multi-scale precision forming and shaping of polymers and hydrogels. More recently, he has delved into the fundamental principles and potential applications in the biomedical engineering and energy harvesting fields, exploring innovations like nanofiber membrane-based organ-on-a-chip systems, cutting-edge organoid/spheroid culture platforms, contact electrification, and micro/nano-pattern replicable energy harvesters.

Ranjith Kumar Kankala
(Huaqiao University, China)

Ranjith K. Kankala is currently working as an Associate Professor in the Institute of Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering at Huaqiao University, PR China. After receiving his Ph.D. degree in 2016 in the field of nanomedicine, he immediately joined as faculty at Huaqiao University. He is currently acting as a Theme Editor, an editorial board member, as well as on the Reviewer panel boards of top journals on ACS, Cell Press, Elsevier, Bentham Science, and Frontiers Journals in his area of expertise. He has been invited to be on the Reviewer panel for Project evaluation for French National Research Agency (ANR). He recently got listed into Top-2% Eminent scientists by Elsevier/Scopus Repository. He has authored over 150 SCI-indexed publications and a book chapter. Ranjith K. Kankala's research expertise is related to preparing advanced multifunctional nanocomposites and engineered inorganic nano-/micro- hybrid systems with optimized properties for various innovative biomedical applications, including but not limited to cancer therapy, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, as well as dental ailments.

Paul Dalton
(University of Oregon, USA)

Associate Professor Paul Dalton leads a research group at the Knight Campus of the University of Oregon. He has spent his academic career specializing in developing new manufacturing technologies for biomedical applications. An early adopter of melt electrospinning and pioneer of melt electrowriting, his research targets advanced biomaterials that can perform new functions. The team at the Knight Campus transforms known biomedical polymers into microscale designs that allows new functionality and properties. Originally from Perth, Australia, he was part of a bioengineering team in the 1990s that successfully took an artificial cornea from concept to the clinic. His academic career has an international perspective, having lived/worked in Canada, United Kingdom, China, Germany and now the US. He has over 25 years’ experience across several disciplines including biomaterials, nanotechnology tissue engineering, neuroimmunology biofabrication, and additive manufacturing.

Dietmar Hutmacher
(Max Planck Queensland Center, Queensland University of Technology, Australia)

Distinguished Professor Dietmar W Hutmacher is a biomedical engineer, an educator, an inventor, and a creator of new intellectual property opportunities. DProfessor Hutmacher founded and co-directs the first Max Planck Centre in Oceania; Max Planck Centre Queensland, Australia (MPCQ): The Materials Science of Extracellular Matrices He mentors an interdisciplinary team of researchers including engineers, cell biologists, polymer chemists, clinicians, and veterinary surgeons. He is an internationally recognized research leader in the fields of biomaterials, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine with expertise in commercialization. He has translated a bone and breast tissue engineering concept from the laboratory through to clinical application involving in vitro experiments, preclinical studies and ultimately clinical trials. His recent research efforts have resulted in traditional scientific/academic outputs as well as pivotal commercialisation outcomes. His pre-eminent international standing and impact on the field are illustrated by his publication record which is manifested that he has been awarded the highly cited researcher status for four consecutive years.

Naomi Paxton
(University of Oregon, USA)

Dr Naomi Paxton is a Senior Research Fellow at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), in Brisbane, Australia. With biofabrication research training experience in work leading labs at QUT, University of Würzburg in Germany, Imperial College London UK, and most recently at the Knight Campus (University of Oregon), USA, Naomi is a leading early career researcher in biofabrication research and melt electrowriting (MEW) scaffold design.

Dong Sung Kim
(POSTECH, Korea, Republic of)

Dong Sung Kim is a Mueunjae Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), and is a member of Young Korean Academy of Science and Technology. He is also appointed as adjunct professor at both the Department of Chemical Engineering and the School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering at POSTECH. Additionally, he serves as an adjunct professor at the Yonsei Institute of Convergence Technology, affiliated with Yonsei University. His primary research interests lie in the realm of micro- and nano-manufacturing processes, encompassing advanced electrospinning techniques and the multi-scale precision forming and shaping of polymers and hydrogels. More recently, he has delved into the fundamental principles and potential applications in the biomedical engineering and energy harvesting fields, exploring innovations like nanofiber membrane-based organ-on-a-chip systems, cutting-edge organoid/spheroid culture platforms, contact electrification, and micro/nano-pattern replicable energy harvesters.

Jennifer H. Shin
(KAIST, Korea, Republic of)

Dr. Jennifer H. Shin is a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). She earned her Bachelor of Science (1998), Master of Science (2000), and Doctor of Philosophy (2004) degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her research focuses on the emerging interdisciplinary field of mechanobiology, and she uses quantitative experimental and analytical tools to investigate the links between pathophysiological responses and physical stresses at the cellular level. Dr. Shin has demonstrated her commitment to academic excellence through her involvement in several academic societies across the fields of mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering in Korea. She has served as a board member for seven of these societies and has also been an organizing committee member for several international conferences.

Junji Fukuda
(Yokohama National University (YNU), Japan)

Prof. Junji Fukuda is a full professor at the Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National University, Japan. He obtained his Ph.D in 2003 at Chemical Engineering Department, Kyushu University, Japan. His research area has been in the synthesis, processing, and evaluation of new biomaterials for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. Research interests of his lab is to engineer vascularized tissues with appropriate microarchitectures. His lab is also working on a research project to generate hair organoids in vitro for hair regenerative medicine. Prof. Junji Fukuda organizes the Bio-microsystem lab at Yokohama National University, Japan. The Bio-microsystem lab comprises now 3 post docs, 18 graduate students and 6 undergraduate students. The lab is well equipped for cell/tissue culture, microfabrication, photolithography, electrochemistry, polymer chemistry, and molecular biology. The proprietary equipment includes a confocal microscope (Carl Zeiss), fluorescent microscope (Olympus), a time lapse microscope (Olympus), bioclean benches (Sanyo), a real time PCR system (Applied Biosystems), SEM (Hitachi), QCM (Initiam), a spattering machine, and potentio/galvanostats. Detail information is described in the following lab webpage:　http://www.fukulab.ynu.ac.jp/english/index.html

Selected Publications (Total 120 publications)
T. Kageyama, A. Shimizu, R. Anakama, R. Nakajima, K. Suzuki, Y. Okubo, J. Fukuda, Reprogramming of three-dimensional microenvironments for in vitro hair follicle induction, Science Advances, 8(42):eadd4603 (2022)
S. Kanno, Y. Okubo, T. Kageyama, L. Yan, S. Kitajima, and J. Fukuda, Establishment of a developmental toxicity assay based on human iPSC reporter to detect fibroblast growth factor signal disruption, iScience, 25, 2, 103770 (2022)
M. Masumoto, I. Fukuda, S. Furihata, T. Arai, T. Kageyama, K. Ohmori, S. Shirakawa, J. Fukuda, Deep neural network for the determination of transformed foci in Bhas 42 cell transformation assay, Scientific Reports, 11, 23344 (2021)

Jennifer H. Shin
(KAIST, Korea, Republic of)

Dr. Jennifer H. Shin is a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). She earned her Bachelor of Science (1998), Master of Science (2000), and Doctor of Philosophy (2004) degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her research focuses on the emerging interdisciplinary field of mechanobiology, and she uses quantitative experimental and analytical tools to investigate the links between pathophysiological responses and physical stresses at the cellular level. Dr. Shin has demonstrated her commitment to academic excellence through her involvement in several academic societies across the fields of mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering in Korea. She has served as a board member for seven of these societies and has also been an organizing committee member for several international conferences.

Jae-Won Shin
(University of Illinois at Chicago, USA)

Jae-Won Shin is Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine. Dr. Shin received his B.S. from the University of Sydney and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He did his postdoctoral training in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. Dr. Shin’s research team is employing interdisciplinary approaches to precisely build instructive niches and remodel host microenvironments for treatment of tissue injury, degeneration and fibrosis. This effort has led to multiple new fields, including digital design of engineered niches to direct single cell functions, single cell encapsulation therapy, and extracellular vesicle-matrix interactions. He is a recipient of a National Institutes of Health K99/R00 award, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) Rising Star Award and Advanced Biomanufacturing (ABioM) Junior Investigator Award by the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).

Jinhwan Kim
(UC Davis, USA)

Dr. Jinhwan Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, as well as in the Department of Surgery, School of Medicine. His research centers on the integration of nanotechnology, cell engineering, and bioimaging to augment and optimize cell-based therapies, including immunotherapy and stem cell therapy. His group investigates the augmentation of endogenous functional/therapeutic cells (e.g., stem cells, T cells, NK cells) with foreign and biocompatible nanoparticles. This research is underpinned by the application of non-invasive and real-time imaging system, including ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging, to track and monitor the application and effectiveness of these therapies. The primary objective of his research group is to increase the understanding of these therapeutic mechanisms to improve control over cell therapies, thereby enhancing their efficacy and facilitating their successful translation into clinical practices.

Stanislav Emelianov
(Georgia Tech, USA)

Dr. Stanislav Emelianov is a Joseph M. Pettit Endowed Chair, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, and Professor of ECE ad BME at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. During his career at at the University of Michigan, the University of Texas at Austin, and now at Georgia Tech and Emory, Dr. Emelianov built and maintained an active world-class research program. He is Director of the Ultrasound Imaging and Therapeutics Research Laboratory where projects are focused on the discovery, development and clinical translation of diagnostic imaging and image-guided therapy augmented with theranostic nanoagents. Throughout his career, Dr. Emelianov has been developing advanced imaging methods capable of detecting and diagnosing cancer and other pathologies, assisting treatment planning, enhancing image-guided therapy, and monitoring of the treatment outcome. The projects in Dr. Emelianov's laboratory cover a wide range of applications including molecular and functional imaging, cell tracking, tissue differentiation, drug delivery and release, image-guided surgery and intervention. Dr. Emelianov is a nationally recognized expert in biomedical imaging instrumentation and nanoagents for imaging and therapy. He is the author of over 250 archival publications including peer-reviewed research articles and invited reviews. In recognition of his contributions to the field, Dr. Emelianov was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Acoustical Society of America (OSA), and Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Aharon (Roni) Azagury
(Ariel University, Israel)

Tenured Assistant Professor at Ariel University in the department of Chemical and Biotechnology Engineering. My lab is focused on developing novel biomimetic bioengineered drug delivery systems. Demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Skilled in Nano and Microencapsulation, Drug Delivery Systems, Mass Transport Phenomena, Materials Science, Spectroscopy, Nanotechnology, Molecular Biology, and Cell Culture. Strong research professional with a PhD focused in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering from Ben Gurion University of the Negev. I did my postdoc at Brown University focusing on oral drug delivery and polymers science.

Dai Hai Nguyễn
(Institute of Chemical Technology - Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Vietnam)

Prof. Dai Hai Nguyen is currently the Director of the Technology Research and Development Center, and concurrently the Deputy Director of the Institute of Chemical Technology - Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. In 2013, he successfully earned a Ph.D. from Ajou University in Korea, specializing in Applied Chemistry with a focus on Biomaterials Technology. Acknowledging his significant contributions to science and technology in Vietnam, Dr. Hai received the prestigious Golden Globe award from the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in 2018. He achieved the title of associate Professor in 2019 and was honored as a Professor in 2023, making him one of the youngest professors appointed in Vietnam.
Prof. Nguyen Dai Hai's primary research interests encompass the development of nanomaterials for controlled drug delivery in cancer treatment, creating biomedical materials for regenerative medicine applications, and producing advanced materials with applications in medicine, agriculture, and the environment. Prof. Dai Hai Nguyen has an impressive scholarly record, publishing 152 scientific articles in reputable international journals. Additionally, he holds three patents for inventions and useful solutions. Furthermore, he has authored five books, all of which have been published by esteemed publishers.

Jooli Han
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA)

Jooli Han is a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Robert Langer's lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She received her Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2020. Her doctoral research work was on the development of soft robotic cardiac assist devices using biocompatible polymers. Before joining MIT, she worked as a research intern at Facebook Reality Labs developing soft robotic haptic devices. Her current research at MIT focuses on the delivery of lipid nanoparticle-based mRNA vaccines and therapeutics using polymeric platforms such as microneedles and core-shell microparticles in an effort to achieve global health equity.

Shinichi Mochizuki
(The University of Kitakyushu, Japan)

Education
2002 BS, Life Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology.
2004 MS, Life Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology.
2008 Ph.D., Life Technology, Department of Applied Chemistry, Kyushu University.

Academic Career
2008-2014 Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Kitakyushu
2015- Associate Professor at the University of Kitakyushu

Academic Award
Award for Encouragement of Research in Polymer Science (2011)
Award for Encouragement of Research in the Sasakawa Scientific Research (2010)

Lingxiao Zhang
(Aarhus University, Denmark)

Dr. Lingxiao Zhang received his Ph.D. degree at University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2020. He is now an Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellow in Aarhus University. His research focuses on the development of two-dimensional clay materials-based nanobiotechnological drugs and nanovaccines for the diagnosis and therapy of malignant tumors and neurodegenerative diseases. Up till now, he has published 28 high-quality articles in well-known journals such as Advanced Materials, ACS Nano, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, Nano Today, Biomaterials, Journal of Controlled Relseae, Nano Research, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces and Journal of Nanobiotechnology. He was also awarded with numerous honors include the TOP100 Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dean's Excellence Award of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and European Commission Horizon Seal of Excellence. As project leaders, he has undertaken a number of projects such as Chinese National Natural Science Foundation Project and HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships. He also serves as a Guest Editor for Journal of Nanobiotechnology, Editorial Member of Exploration and Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Microstructures. He also serves as a journal reviewer for Coordination Chemistry Reviews, Brain Behavior and Immunity, Acta Biomaterialia, Journal of Nanobiotechnology and Journal of Materials Chemistry B.

Nate Dowdall
(McMaster University, Canada)

Nate Dowdall is a PhD candidate in Dr. Todd Hoare's lab at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He received his Bachelor of Applied Science at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Nate's current work focuses on developing macrophage-targeting immunomodulatory micro- and nano-particles with applications in fibrosis and cancer therapy.

Zheyu Shen
(Southern Medical University, China)

Prof. Zheyu Shen received his Ph. D. from the Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, under the supervision of Prof. Guanghui Ma and Prof. Toshiaki Dobashi (Gunma University, Japan). After postdoctoral studies with Prof. Kazuhiro Kohama (Gunma University, Japan) and Prof. Sheng Dai (The University of Adelaide, Australia), he was appointed an Associate Professor (2012) and promoted to Full Professor (2015) at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology & Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. After three years of visiting scholar at the National Institutes of Health (USA) under the supervision of Prof. Xiaoyuan Chen, he joined Southern Medical University as a Full Professor in 2019. His lab focuses on MRI contrast agents, tumor ferroptosis therapy, and immunotherapy.

Su-Geun Yang
(Inha University, Korea, Republic of)

Dr. Su-Geun Yang is a Professor at Inha University College of Medicine in Korea, where he leads the Integrated Research Lab for Medicinal Nano and Life Science within the Department of Biomedical Science.

Education and Training:
Dr. Yang earned his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Science from Seoul National University College of Pharmacy in Korea in 2006. Prior to that, he completed his B.S. in Pharmaceutical Science at Chung-Ang University College of Pharmacy and his M.S. in Pharmacy at Chung-Ang University College of Pharmacy in 1993-1995 and 1989-1992, respectively. He also served as a Research Associate in Molecular Imaging at the University of Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, USA, from 2006 to 2009.

Professional Experiences:
With a wealth of experience in the field, Dr. Yang has held various key positions in both academia and industry. He served as a Senior Researcher at Chong Kun Dang Pharm Co., Korea, from 1995 to 2002 and later as a Senior Researcher at CJ Jeiljedang Co., Korea, from 2002 to 2003. Subsequently, he became the Deputy Director of Utah-Inha DDS and Therapeutics in Korea from 2009 to 2012 before assuming his current role as a Professor at Inha University College of Medicine in 2012.

Research Area:
Dr. Yang's research focuses on cutting-edge areas within medicinal nano and life science. His expertise lies in the development of polymeric drug conjugates for targeted cancer therapy, therapeutic gene delivery for immune cancer therapy, and translational research for medical devices. Additionally, he is involved in space medicine and physiology research.

Publications:
Dr. Yang has made significant contributions to the scientific community with over 50 publications. Some notable works include studies on retinoic acid-conjugated chitosan/manganese porphyrin ionic-complex nanoparticles for improved T1 contrast MR imaging of hepatic fibrosis, as well as the design and clinical developments of aptamer-drug conjugates for targeted cancer therapy.

His research spans various fields, including nanomedicine, drug delivery systems, and the development of innovative therapeutic strategies.

This comprehensive background showcases Dr. Su-Geun Yang's commitment to advancing biomedical science and his contributions to both academia and industry.

Zheyu Shen
(Southern Medical University, China)

Prof. Zheyu Shen received his Ph. D. from the Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, under the supervision of Prof. Guanghui Ma and Prof. Toshiaki Dobashi (Gunma University, Japan). After postdoctoral studies with Prof. Kazuhiro Kohama (Gunma University, Japan) and Prof. Sheng Dai (The University of Adelaide, Australia), he was appointed an Associate Professor (2012) and promoted to Full Professor (2015) at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology & Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. After three years of visiting scholar at the National Institutes of Health (USA) under the supervision of Prof. Xiaoyuan Chen, he joined Southern Medical University as a Full Professor in 2019. His lab focuses on MRI contrast agents, tumor ferroptosis therapy, and immunotherapy.

Su-Geun Yang
(Inha University, Korea, Republic of)

Dr. Su-Geun Yang is a Professor at Inha University College of Medicine in Korea, where he leads the Integrated Research Lab for Medicinal Nano and Life Science within the Department of Biomedical Science.

Education and Training:
Dr. Yang earned his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Science from Seoul National University College of Pharmacy in Korea in 2006. Prior to that, he completed his B.S. in Pharmaceutical Science at Chung-Ang University College of Pharmacy and his M.S. in Pharmacy at Chung-Ang University College of Pharmacy in 1993-1995 and 1989-1992, respectively. He also served as a Research Associate in Molecular Imaging at the University of Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, USA, from 2006 to 2009.

Professional Experiences:
With a wealth of experience in the field, Dr. Yang has held various key positions in both academia and industry. He served as a Senior Researcher at Chong Kun Dang Pharm Co., Korea, from 1995 to 2002 and later as a Senior Researcher at CJ Jeiljedang Co., Korea, from 2002 to 2003. Subsequently, he became the Deputy Director of Utah-Inha DDS and Therapeutics in Korea from 2009 to 2012 before assuming his current role as a Professor at Inha University College of Medicine in 2012.

Research Area:
Dr. Yang's research focuses on cutting-edge areas within medicinal nano and life science. His expertise lies in the development of polymeric drug conjugates for targeted cancer therapy, therapeutic gene delivery for immune cancer therapy, and translational research for medical devices. Additionally, he is involved in space medicine and physiology research.

Publications:
Dr. Yang has made significant contributions to the scientific community with over 50 publications. Some notable works include studies on retinoic acid-conjugated chitosan/manganese porphyrin ionic-complex nanoparticles for improved T1 contrast MR imaging of hepatic fibrosis, as well as the design and clinical developments of aptamer-drug conjugates for targeted cancer therapy.

His research spans various fields, including nanomedicine, drug delivery systems, and the development of innovative therapeutic strategies.

This comprehensive background showcases Dr. Su-Geun Yang's commitment to advancing biomedical science and his contributions to both academia and industry.

Young Jik Kwon
(University of California, Irvine, USA)

Dr. Young Jik Kwon is a professor at UCI in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Molecular Biology & Biochemistry departments. Following his undergraduate education in Biological Engineering at Inha University, Dr. Kwon received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern California in 2003 and did post-doctoral training in department of chemistry at UC Berkeley. He started his academic career in Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University in 2005 where he was the M. Frank and Margaret Rudy assistant professor and moved to UC Irvine in 2007. Dr. Kwon’s work was awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation in 2010 and a Medical Research Award from Gabrielle's Angel Foundation for Cancer Research in 2011. He was also an invited scholar to Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil and a Brain Pool Scholar in Korea University in Korea. He was also selected to be a Faculty Innovation Fellow of the Beall Applied Innovation at UCI and appointed as the Editor-in-Chief of Methods, an interdisciplinary Elsevier Journal.

Tatsuo Maruyama
(Kobe University, Japan)

Tatsuo Maruyama received his PhD at the Department of Chemistry & Biotechnology of The University of Tokyo in 2002 under the supervision of Prof. Minoru Seki. He started his academic carrier as an assistant professor in Prof. Masahiro Goto’s group at Kyushu University in 2002 and moved to Kobe University in 2007 as an associate professor. He was promoted to full professor in 2019. He received the SCEJ Award for Outstanding Young Researcher from The Society of Chemical Engineering Japan in 2006 and the Kao Scientists’ Prize from The Kao Foundation for Arts and Sciences in 2018. His research interests lie in the areas of polymer-surface engineering and supramolecular gelator.

Zhimou Yang
(Nankai University, China)

Professor and director in Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, Nankai University. Zhimou Yang, born 1978 in Guangdong Province, China. He received his BS from Nanjing University in 2001. He obtained his PhD in 2006 from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology under the supervision of Professor Bing Xu. Before starting his independent research at Nankai University in March 2009, he was a postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Matthew Bogyo at Stanford Medical School. His research interests focus on biomedical applications of peptide-based hydrogels including hydrogels of drug-peptide amphiphiles for drug delivery, hydrogels of bioactive peptides for tissue engineering, and hydrogels as vaccine adjuvants, etc. He has published around 100 corresponding authored papers in the field of peptide self-assembly. He obtained the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars from National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2018.

Hyunjoo Jenny Lee
(KAIST, Korea, Republic of)

Hyunjoo Jenny Lee is an Associate Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and the KAIST Endowed Chair Professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). She received the B.S. degree and M.Eng. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, in 2004 and 2005, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, Stanford, CA, in 2012. Her research focuses on MEMS sensors and actuators for biomedical applications including neural interfaces, ultrasound transducers, epidermal electronics, and biosensors. She is the author of over 50 journal and conference papers and is a recipient of a number of awards, including the Korean Government's Minister of Science and ICT Award (2022), S-Oil Next-Generation Scientist Awards (2022), KAIST Technology Innovation Award (2021), and WEF Young Scientist Award (2017).

Sei Kwang Hahn
(POSTECH, Korea, Republic of)

Sei Kwang Hahn is the SeokCheon Chair Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at POSTECH. He obtained his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at KAIST. As the youngest Ph.D. at LG Chemical Group in 1996, he started his research on biodegradable polymer and then sustained release formulation of hGH, which was successfully commercialized in Korea under the trade name of Declage® in 2007. From 2001, he did his post-doctoral research with Prof. Allan Hoffman in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington. After that, he worked for long acting formulation of various biopharmaceuticals at the Roche Group, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. in Japan for more than three years. Since 2005, he has worked as a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at POSTECH, and an adjunct professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering and in the Department of Creative IT Engineering at POSTECH. He was the SeAh Young Chair Professor for 2012-2015 and is the Seok Cheon Chair Professor since 2019. He was a consultant for Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey in 2008 and made a collaboration project contract with Hoffman-La Roche. In 2012, he joined in the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital for his sabbatical research supported by LG Yeonam Fellowship. He was a visiting professor at Stanford University in 2019-2020 and elected as the member of National Academy of Engineering Korea and the Outside Director of Kiswire Co. in 2020. He was the Samsung Future Technology Committee Member for 2016-2018 and the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology for 2017-2019. He is the founder and CEO of PHI BIOMED Co., National Innovative Enterprise 1000 nominated by the Korean Minister of SMEs and Startups. He received the Songgok Science & Technology Award in 2022, the Controlled Release Society Award in 2018, the Minister of Health and Welfare Award in 2017, the Korean President Award in 2015 and Korean Minister of Education Award in 2013. He published more than 130 SCI journal papers including Nature Reviews Materials, Nature Photonics, Nature Communications, Science Advances, Progress in Polymer Science, and Advanced Materials, and filed more than 130 Korean and international patents. He has worked as the Editorial Board Member of ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering, ACS Applied Bio Materials, Biomacromolecules, the Guest Editor of APL Materials and Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, and the Associate Editor of Biomaterials Research and Biomaterials.

Hyunjoo Jenny Lee
(KAIST, Korea, Republic of)

Hyunjoo Jenny Lee is an Associate Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and the KAIST Endowed Chair Professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). She received the B.S. degree and M.Eng. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, in 2004 and 2005, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, Stanford, CA, in 2012. Her research focuses on MEMS sensors and actuators for biomedical applications including neural interfaces, ultrasound transducers, epidermal electronics, and biosensors. She is the author of over 50 journal and conference papers and is a recipient of a number of awards, including the Korean Government's Minister of Science and ICT Award (2022), S-Oil Next-Generation Scientist Awards (2022), KAIST Technology Innovation Award (2021), and WEF Young Scientist Award (2017).

Jayasree R S
(Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medicla Sciences and Technology, India)

I am working in the interface of physics, chemistry, biology and medicine and tries to contribute to the patient community by delivering clinically useful devices, biomaterial, biosensors and techniques. My early research helped to evolve clinical practice of procedures like laser treatment for disc decompression, osteoid osteoma, easophageal and bronchial tumor, which brought me the PSN national award for rural technology. My contributions to the field of biomaterials science include development biomaterials for imaging, sensing, diagnostic, theranostic and therapeutics in the most demanding areas like cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and cardiovascular diseases. Contributions in the biomaterial development fetched me the prestigious MRSI Medal in 2017. My interest also spans to designing laser diagnostic systems, and nanosystems for crossing blood brain barrier, drug delivery, cancer therapy and sensing. One of these patented techniques enables the point of care detection of urea from blood which has high utility for patients undergoing dialysis. Another patented nanodrug delivery system can cross blood brain barrier and deliver drug to the brain without disturbing the barrier. This is very useful for the early stage diagnosis of brain related disorders. Among the point of care devices/in vitro diagnostics include the nanosensor for the multi analyte detection of copper and creatinine simultaneously(Patent). Another nanosensor developed is for the detection of blood based biomarker for Alzheimer’s Disease with very good clinical outcome with attomolar sensitivity in its preliminary clinical trial(Patent). Development of a lateral flow assembly for the naked eye visualization of COVID-19 protein with nanogram level limit of detection has been patented. Translocation of hippocampal zinc during epileptic seizures could be imaged for the first time, using a bipyridine based zinc sensor. Another biosensor is the detection of dopamine from neurons during the neuronal cell differentiation. She also holds a patent to solve a socially relevant problem of detecting and removing endosulfan from different sources of water and milk. Yet another patented technology provides the highest magnetic relaxivity ever reported for using the material as MRI contrast agent. Very recently, a prototype of an optical nerve stimulator to replace the existing highly painful electrical stimulation has been developed, the clinical trial of which is going on. I have also developed a technology for the detection and quantification of circulating tumor cells (Patent). She has also developed autofluorescence spectroscopic techniques (AFS) combined with chemometrics for the early diagnosis of oral cavity disorders like oral leukoplakia, oral submucous fibrosis and lichen planus. Autofluorescence spectroscopy has been used to detect liver fibrosis at very early stage and also evaluated the effect of liver fibrosis on other organs using the same technique. AFS also has been proven to be an efficient tool for the classification of brain tumors like glioma, pituitary adenoma, schwannoma and meningioma.
Royal Society of Chemistry, London and Academy of Sciences, Chennai have honored her with their fellowships in recognition of her scientific contributions. She is part of several institutional, state level and national level scientific expert/advisory committees and task forces. She has also organized the International Symposium on Photonics Applications and Nanomaterials (ISPAN-2015) in the capacity of organizing secretary which was attended by world renowned researchers. She has been endowed with the Best Woman Scientist -2022 by the Indian Society for Analytical Scientists in 2022. She has been enlisted as one of the women nonscientists in the world by RSC, London in 2023.

Quinn Besford
(Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research, Germany)

Dr. Quinn A. Besford is an independent Group Leader at the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research
(IPF) Dresden, Germany. He received his Ph.D. in theoretical/physical chemistry (2016)
from The University of Melbourne (UoM), Australia, specializing in statistical mechanics and on modeling
surface forces in polar liquids. He subsequently worked in the ARCCentre of Excellence in Bio-
Nano Science and Technology at UoM, specializing on the development of new polymeric nanomaterials
for therapeutic applications, including working on industry-funded projects for type 1 diabetes
treatments. He transitioned to IPF in Germany in 2019 as an Alexander von Humboldt research fellow
(Ludwig Leichhardt Memorial Fellowship), before being promoted to independent Group leader.He
received the 2022 IPF Innovation Prize for his work on mechanofluorescent polymer brush systems.
His research team focuses on developing functional polymeric materials for sensing, which leverages
fluorescence methods, and nanoparticle and hydrogel systems for therapeutic applications, mainly
focused on in-blood interactions.

Samir Mitragotri
(Harvard University, USA)

Samir Mitragotri is the Hiller Professor of Bioengineering and Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. His research is focused on drug delivery. His research has also led to new technologies for transdermal, oral, and targeted drug delivery systems. He is an elected member of the US National Academy of Engineering, US National Academy of Medicine and US National Academy of Inventors. He is an author on over 400 publications and an inventor on over 225 patents/patent applications. He is also an elected fellow of AAAS, CRS, BMES, AIMBE, and AAPS. He received BS in Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology, India and PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Shyh-Dar Li
(University of British Columbia, Canada)

Dr. Li received his PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is now the Angiotech Professor in Drug Delivery at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia. His research has been focused on developing innovative drug delivery technologies to enable novel therapies for challenging diseases, including genetic disorders, cancers, and diabetes.

Shang-Hsiu Hu
(National Tsing Hua University, Chinese Taipei)

Shang-Hsiu Hu (B.S.—chemical engineering—2004, NCHU; M.S.—materials—2006, NCTU; Ph.D.—materials—2010, NCTU) has been an associate professor at National Tsing Hua University since 2017 (Department of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences). His research explores novel nanomaterials and nanotechnologies to develop advanced drug and gene delivery systems with the promise to improve health care. He received NTHU Young Faculty Research Award (2015) and Prof. Chao-Ren Lee-Young Scholar Award (2015), Taiwan MOST Ta-You Wu Memorial Award (2017), MOST Young Scholar Fellowship (2018), and National Innovation Award (2019).

Qiaobing Xu
(Tufts University, USA)

Dr. Qiaobing Xu is currently professor in Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University. He also holds an adjunct position in Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and School of Medicine at Tufts University. He obtained his B.S. from Jilin University, China, and PhD from Harvard University, USA. He did postdoc training at MIT before joining Tufts as an assistant professor in September, 2010. He was promoted to full professor in 2021. His current research interests lie at the intersection of material science engineering, specifically micro/nanoscience, and biomedical application. His work involves using combinatorial methods to develop novel materials for the delivery of therapeutic biomacromolecules and using nanotechnology to develop novel biomaterials for tissue engineering. He received Charlton Award from Tufts University School of Medicine and National Science Foundation CAREER Award. He was named the Pew Scholar for Biomedical Sciences from Pew Charitable Trusts and was elected as a Fellow of AIMBE, class of 2020.

Yu-Chen Hu
(National Tsing Hua University, Chinese Taipei)

Dr. Yu-Chen Hu was born in 1969 in Taipei. He received his BS degree in Chemical Engineering from National Taiwan University in 1992 and his PhD degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Maryland in 1999, and his post-doc training at National Institutes of Health (USA) from 1999 to 2000. Dr. Hu joined National Tsing Hua University in 2000 and was promoted to Tsing Hua Chair Professor in 2019.
Dr. Hu’ research interests include vaccine development, gene editing and regulation, regenerative medicine, cancer therapy and synthetic biology. Dr. Hu's lab has developed the enterovirus 71 vaccine and self-amplifying RNA vaccines. He is a pioneer using baculovirus as a vector for gene delivery, regenerative medicine and cancer therapy. Dr. Hu has combined RNA-guided CRISPR technology and synthetic biology for the metabolic engineering of microorganisms and stem cells for production of bio-derived chemicals and tissue regeneration, respectively. In particular, he has recently developed various CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) and CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and CRISPRai, RNA editing platforms to modulate stem cell differentiation to improve regeneration of different tissues. Dr. Hu also develops mRNA therapies for cancers and tissue regeneration.
Dr. Hu has won the Asia Research Award, Outstanding Research Award twice (Ministry of Science and Technology, 2006, 2014), BEST Biochemical Engineering Achievement Award, Wu Ta-You Memorial Award, Jin Kai-Yin Award, Mao Gao-Wen Award, Outstanding Academia-Industry Research Award and Outstanding Young Investigator Award in Taiwan. He is a fellow of five academic societies (American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), Biomaterials Science and Engineering, International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering, International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM), Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers (TwIChE) and Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering Society of Taiwan).
Dr. Hu serves as the Program Chair of the Tissue Engineering International & Regenerative Medicine Society-Asia Pacific (TERMIS-AP) 2016 meeting, Conference Chair of Asian Congress of Biotechnology (ACB meeting 2019), Vice President of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering Society of Taiwan and Vice Dean of College of Engineering, NTHU. He is also the executive board member and currently Vice President of Asian Federation of Biotechnology (AFOB) and TERMIS-AP council member (2014-2016, 2018-2020) and. He is the associated editor of Current Gene Therapy, deputy editor of Journal of Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers, Frontiers in Biotechnology and Bioengineering, and former Coordinator of Chemical Engineering Division, Ministry of Science and Technology.

Wooram Park
(Sungkyunkwan University, Korea, Republic of)

Dr. Wooram Park is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Integrative Biotechnology at Sungkyunkwan University of Korea since 2022. He majored in Biotechnology and received his Ph.D. degree from the Catholic University of Korea in 2015 (Advisor: Prof. Kun Na). He worked as a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Radiology at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine (USA, 2015-2017, Advisor: Prof. Dong-Hyun Kim and Prof. Andrew C. Larson). He has focused on the development of novel biomaterials and their applications in cancer immune therapy, image-guided drug delivery, and tissue engineering. He was awarded the Young Scientist Award from the Korean and Japanese Society for Biomaterials (2013). Prof. Park has authored/co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed research papers including Journal of the American Chemical Society, Advanced Functional Materials, ACS Nano, ACS Central Science, Biomaterials, Small, and ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Daishun Ling
(Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China)

2009—2013 Ph.D., School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, Korea
2013—2014 Senior Researcher, Center for Nanoparticle Research, Institute for Basic, Korea
2014—2021 Professor, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
2021—present Distinguished Professor, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules & School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
2021—present Associate Editor, Exploration (ISSN 2766-2098)
2020—present Assistant Editor, Journal of Controlled Release (ISSN 1873-4995)
2020—present Theme Editor, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews (ISSN 1872-8294)
2018—present Editor Board Member, Science Bulletin (ISSN 2095-9281)
Awards:
2018 Second prize of Science and Technology award of Zhejiang Pharmaceutical Association, China
2018 First prize of Science and Technology Progress Award of Ministry of Education, China
2019 National Science Fund for Excellent Youth Scholars, China
2021 Leading Talent of National High-Level Talents Special Support Plan, China
2021 “Rising Star Award”, Journal of Nanobiotechnology

Wooram Park
(Sungkyunkwan University, Korea, Republic of)

Dr. Wooram Park is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Integrative Biotechnology at Sungkyunkwan University of Korea since 2022. He majored in Biotechnology and received his Ph.D. degree from the Catholic University of Korea in 2015 (Advisor: Prof. Kun Na). He worked as a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Radiology at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine (USA, 2015-2017, Advisor: Prof. Dong-Hyun Kim and Prof. Andrew C. Larson). He has focused on the development of novel biomaterials and their applications in cancer immune therapy, image-guided drug delivery, and tissue engineering. He was awarded the Young Scientist Award from the Korean and Japanese Society for Biomaterials (2013). Prof. Park has authored/co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed research papers including Journal of the American Chemical Society, Advanced Functional Materials, ACS Nano, ACS Central Science, Biomaterials, Small, and ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Brent Weinberg
(Emory University School of Medicine, USA)

Dr. Weinberg is an associate professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, where he is the director of the neuroradiology division and the director of the radiology residency research track. His clinical interests include brain imaging, spine imaging, and procedures including biopsy and diagnosis and treatment of CSF leak/spontaneous intracranial hypotension. His research interests include developing advanced MRI techniques to guide treatment of brain tumors and implementing disease specific structured reporting techniques, including the Brain Tumor-Reporting and Data System (BT-RADS. He is also interested in novel educational methods, such as video education, and runs and educational site and YouTube channel LearnNeuroradiology.com.

Ning Gu
(Southeast University, China)

Dr. Gu is a Professor in Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China. He obtained his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at Southeast University in 1996, followed by the postdoctoral research at University of Yamanashi, Japan. Dr.Gu has been well recognized for his professional accomplishments with national and international awards and honors, including Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) Fellow, Yangtze River Scholars Distinguished Professor, The National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, State Science and Technology Progress Award, and State Natural Science Award, etc. Dr.Gu has dedicated himself to the research in nanomedicine for more than 30 years, with special interests in the fields of biomedical nanomaterials, including fabrication, characterization and biomedical application of iron-based magnetic nanomaterials and synthetic phospholipids. Dr.Gu has published over 600 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Nature Materials, Advanced Materials, Biomaterials, ACS Nano, etc, and obtained over 100 patents for invention.

Aiguo Wu
(Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology & Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China)

Prof. Aiguo Wu graduated from Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences and got his PhD under the guidance with Prof. Erkang Wang and Prof. Zhuang Li in 2003 in China. Then he ever worked with Prof. Norbert A Hampp in Department of Chemistry in University of Marburg in Germany, with Prof. Ahmed H. Zewail at Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering in California Institute of Technology and with Prof. Gayle E. Woloschak at Feinberg School of Medicine in Northwestern University in USA from 2004 to 2009. After that, he came back China and joined Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences in June 2009 to establish a nanobiomaterials research group in Ningbo focusing on Nanomaterials for Biomedical Imaging and Therapy in Cancers, particularly in MRI, CT, US, Fluorescent and Raman nanoprobes. Up to now, Prof. Wu has published over 330 peer-review papers in Biomaterials, Adv Mater, Nano Lett, ACS Nano and Chem Soc Rev etc., and got over 17,800 citation times from scientists around the world with H-index=65 and applied over 230 patents and rewarded over 110 ones including 5 patents from USA and European Countries. Prof. Wu has also obtained many honors and awards from the international and the civil in China for example a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in UK (2023), Top 2% Global Scientists through whole career (1962-2022) in 2022, the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars in China (Biomedical Imaging Probes, 2020), an awardee of the inaugural 2018 Nano Research Global Young Innovators (NR45) in nanobiotechnology (the 45 outstanding young investigators under 45, 2018).

Twan Lammers
(RWTH Aachen University Clinic, Germany)

Twan Lammers obtained a D.Sc. in Radiation Oncology from Heidelberg University in 2008 and a Ph.D. in Pharma-ceutical Technology from Utrecht University in 2009. In the same year, he started the Nanomedicine and Theranostics group at RWTH Aachen University. In 2014, he was promoted to full professor of medicine at RWTH Aachen University Clinic. His group aims to individualize and improve disease treatment by combining drug target-ing with imaging. To this end, image-guided (theranostic) drug delivery systems are being developed, as well as materials and methods to monitor tumor growth, angiogenesis, inflammation, fibrosis and metastasis. He has received multiple scholarships and awards, including ERC starting, consolidator and proof-of-concept grants, the CRS Young Investigator Award, the Adritelf International Award, the Belgian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences International Award, and the JNB Trailblazer Award. He currently serves as the president of the Controlled Re-lease Society and is a council member of the European Society for Molecular Imaging. He is a member of the edi-torial board of 10 journals, and acts as associate editor for JCR, DDTR and MIB. Since 2019, he is included in the Clarivate Analytics list of Highly Cited Researchers.

Brent Weinberg
(Emory University School of Medicine, USA)

Dr. Weinberg is an associate professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, where he is the director of the neuroradiology division and the director of the radiology residency research track. His clinical interests include brain imaging, spine imaging, and procedures including biopsy and diagnosis and treatment of CSF leak/spontaneous intracranial hypotension. His research interests include developing advanced MRI techniques to guide treatment of brain tumors and implementing disease specific structured reporting techniques, including the Brain Tumor-Reporting and Data System (BT-RADS. He is also interested in novel educational methods, such as video education, and runs and educational site and YouTube channel LearnNeuroradiology.com.

Michael Davis
(Emory University, USA)

Dr. Davis is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology. He is also the Director of the Children's Heart Research and Outcomes Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Dr. Davis's research focuses on cellular and biomaterial approaches to adult and pediatric cardiac repair.

Michael Davis
(Emory University, USA)

Dr. Davis is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology. He is also the Director of the Children's Heart Research and Outcomes Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Dr. Davis's research focuses on cellular and biomaterial approaches to adult and pediatric cardiac repair.

Donovan (Dong In) Kim
(University of Oklahoma, USA)

Dr. Dongin (Donoven), Kim’s primary research goal, is to marry therapeutic and diagnostic tools to enable theranostic research that can be applied in clinical applications for diagnosing, monitoring, and treating various diseases, including cancer and heart disease. He has experience developing novel ‘theranostic’ (therapeutic + diagnostic) nanoparticle-based drug delivery and diagnostic systems over 20 years, ranging from chemical synthesis and formulations to biological (in vitro and in vivo) validation. Dr. Kim completed his B.S. in Applied Chemistry at Ajou University (Korea). After that, he committed to research and received his M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering in 2002 from the University of Florida. His research was focused on the interaction between nanoparticles and blood components during the systemic injection of the nanoparticle. Then, he continued his research and received a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry in 2009 from the University of Utah. He investigated the pH-sensitive micelle for overcoming multidrug-resistant tumors. After completing his doctoral studies, he trained as a Post-Doc in the Biomedical Engineering department at Georgia Institute of Technology. In 2011, Dr. Kim began a T-32 Post-doc at Yale University in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Internal Medicine, and his research aimed to develop a synergistic nanoparticle for anticancer immunotherapy and the nanoparticle-based new CT contrast imaging agent. Then, he became an Associate Research Scientist at Yale University in the Department of Biomedical Engineering from 2014 to 2015. Currently, Dr. Kim is an Assistant Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, College of Pharmacy, and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. His current research focus is on exosomal therapeutic development.

Nicholas Dunne
(Dublin City University, Ireland)

Nicholas Dunne is the Full Professor of Biomaterials Engineering and holds Executive Directorship for the Medical Engineering Research Centre and Biodesign Europe at Dublin City University (Ireland). Prof Dunne's research programme lies at the interface of materials science, engineering and biology, and his group focuses in the development of stratified approaches for the design, manufacture and characterisation of drug-biomaterial combination medical devices for efficacious hard and soft tissue repair and regeneration. This work spans fundamental mechanisms at the host/material interface as well as translational research to target non-union bone defects, bone metastases and chronic wounds. This research programme has been developed via a strong, interdisciplinary research programme complimented with over-arching international research institute and industry collaborations.

Helen McCarthy
(Queen's University Belfast, United Kingdom)

Professor Helen McCarthy holds the Chair of Nanomedicine in the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast and is the Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Academic Business Development. Helen’s research is centred on novel non-viral delivery systems for nucleic acids and anionic small molecules for biomaterial applications. These are peptide delivery systems that are purposely designed to solve key criteria for controlled intracellular delivery. Apart from supervising >40 PhD students, >150 publications, >200 conference proceedings and editorial work, Helen has contributed new knowledge as the inventor of the RALA and CHAT technology and is a named inventor on 18 patents.

Aijun Wang
(University of California, Davis, USA)

Dr. Aijun Wang is a Chancellor's Fellow Professor of Surgery and of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). He is the Vice Chair for Translational Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the Department of Surgery, Co-founder and Co-Director of the Center for Surgical Bioengineering (CSB), and the inaugural Dean's Fellow in Entrepreneurship at the UC Davis School of Medicine. He is also a Principal Investigator at the Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine (IPRM) / Shriners Children’s Pediatric Research Center, Northern California. Dr. Wang’s research focuses on developing tools, technologies and products that combine molecular, cellular, tissue and biomaterial engineering to promote tissue regeneration and restore function. Specifically, the Wang Group is focused on engineering stem cell/gene therapy, extracellular vesicles/nanomedicine, and extracellular matrix/biomaterial scaffolds and developing clinically adoptable theranostics for the treatment of neurological and vascular disorders and diseases. Dr. Wang and his team at CSB specialize in bringing therapeutics from bench to bedside, through translational and IND-enabling studies, GMP manufacturing, and conducting clinical trials in both human and companion animal patients. Dr. Wang has been serving as PI on many major grants supported by multiple NIH institutes including NICHD, NINDS, NIBIB, NHLBI, Department of Defense (DOD), the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the University of California Center for Accelerated Innovation (UC-CAI), the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program of California (TRDRP), Shriners Children’s and other foundations. Dr. Wang has filed more than 20 US and international patent applications, published over 170 peer-reviewed papers and has received numerous awards, such as the UC Davis Health Deans’ Team Award for Excellence in Research, Cultivating Team Science Award, UC Davis Chancellor's Fellowship, Deloitte QB3 Award for Innovation, the Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Award from the March of Dimes Foundation, the NIH/NHLBI Technology Development Award, the KidneyX: Redesign Dialysis Phase 2 Innovation award from the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Sacramento Region Innovation Award.

Hwan Kim
(KNUT, Korea, Republic of)

Prof. Hwan Drew Kim graduated in Biochemistry from the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA. He earned a MS and PhD. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the Seoul National University, South Korea. After training as a post-doctoral fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, he joined the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering at KNUT in 2021 as an assistant professor. His research interests focus on the Polymeric biomaterial-guided commitment and endochondral ossification, synthesis of calcium phosphates like whitlockite/hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, Ion release from inorganic nanoparticles and formation of calcium phosphate derivatives, Synthesis of bone organoids that biomimics natural bone environment, Mxene/Graphene Oxide based bone stimulating environment, and his research projects have been supported by NRF, KFRM, Ministry of Science and ICT, and KNUT.

Jayoung Kim
(University of North Texas Health Science Center, USA)

I am an Assistant Professor at the UNT Health Science Center, and I run a research laboratory on targeted gene delivery. Our laboratory focuses on introducing novel targeting modalities that would make significant advancement in the clinical translation of nanomedicine.

Md. Nurunnabi
(School of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at El Paso, USA)

Dr. Md Nurunnabi is an assistant professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Biomedical Engineering at University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), since 2019. His research interest lies between diseases detection and delivery science using advanced bioinspired and bioengineering approaches, and the ongoing projects are sponsored by various agencies including federal, state, foundation, and industry. His laboratory thrives to develop tools and technology to advance therapeutic outcomes for various chronic diseases including diabetes, obesity, cancer, scleroderma, and fibrosis. He has published around 100 articles and book chapters, edited 2 books, and investor of 20 patents filed in USA. Over the decades, he has contributed to founding biomedical start-ups- KB BioMed Inc. in South Korea, and DunaTech LLC in Texas as co-founder.

Currently he is serving as Chair of Bioengineering focus group of Controlled Release Society, and is in editorial advisory board for ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, and ASC Applied Bio Materials. For details of his research, please visit www.utep.edu/NabiLab

Jessica Larsen
(Clemson University, USA)

Professor Jessica Larsen began her academic career at the University of Virginia, obtaining her BS in Chemical Engineering in 2012. She obtained her PhD in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University where she was able to perform research under Drs. Mark Byrne in Chemical Engineering and Doug Martin in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Now, she explores the use of polymeric materials to understand and advance treatment for neurologic conditions. Professor Larsen is the research mentor for six PhD students, two master’s thesis students, and as many as 25 undergraduate students a semester. In her undergraduate mentoring efforts, she has received the Phil and Mary Bradley Award for Mentoring in Creative Inquiry. She was also selected as the 2021 Outstanding Faculty Woman at Clemson University. She received the NSF CAREER Award in the Spring of 2021. Most recently, she was selected by the South Carolina Governor to be the 2022 recipient of the Governor’s Young Scientist Award for Excellence in Scientific Research. Personally, Professor Larsen is engaged in the local community as a Cross-Country coach at Seneca High School. Her women’s team won the SC AAA state championship for three consecutive years.

Jun Wang
(South University of Science and Technology, China)

Jun Wang, NSFC Distinguished Young Scholar and Chief Scientist of National Key R&D Program of China (Nano Special). He obtained B.S. in Chemistry and a joint B.S. in Cell Biology in 1993, and Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry and Physics in 1999 from Wuhan University. From 1999-2004, he got postdoctoral training at Tissue and Therapeutic Engineering Lab, Johns Hopkins in Singapore and at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He was appointed as a full professor in September 2004 at the School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). From December 2006 to May 2016, he worked at the School of Life Sciences, USTC. In June 2016, he moved to SCUT, as a professor of Institutes for Life Sciences and School of Medicine, and as a researcher of National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction. Since December 2017, he has been assigned as Dean of the School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, SCUT. Prof. Wang has published more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific papers in Nat. Nanotechnol.., Sci. Transl. Med., Nat. Commun., PNAS, and other journals, which have been cited over 18000 times. In 2016, he was selected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). Currently, he is the Associate Editor of Biomaterials, Editor Member of Acta Biomaterialia and ChemNanoMat. Prof. Wang was awarded the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China in 2011 and selected as Leading Talent of Scientific and Technological Innovation in the Ten Thousand Talent Plan in 2015. He is an awardee of the Second Class of National Natural Science Award of China (2nd contributor) in 2015.

Omar F. Khan
(University of Toronto, Canada)

Omar F. Khan is the Canada Research Chair in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Immunology. Omar is also the Associate Director of Research for Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto. He earned his B.A.Sc. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto with Michael V. Sefton. He later joined Daniel G. Anderson and Robert Langer as their Postdoctoral Associate in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Omar is the scientific co-founder of Azane Therapeutics and Tiba Biotech, companies spun out from his chemistry and engineering work. Omar was also a Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control consultant for industry. His early work focused on the creation of three dimensional organoid models and engineered tissue substitutes. This work evolved to include the development of nucleic acid-based platform technologies to study the genetic mechanisms of diseases and create RNA-based therapies. Now, Omar continues to unite academic, industry and government efforts to create new RNA technologies for medicine and beyond. As an RNA nanotechnology expert, he is regularly featured in television, radio and print news. When not working with his spectacular team, Omar loves spending time with his wife and adorable babies.

Sarah Hedtrich
(Berlin Institute of Health - Charite, Germany)

Dr. Hedtrich obtained her PhD in Pharmacology & Toxicology from the Freie Universität Berlin in Germany in 2009. During her postdoc, she moved to the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich and Tufts University in Boston, USA. After returning to Berlin 2013, she headed a junior research group and was appointed an assistant professor in 2015. She relocated her lab to the U of British Columbia in 2019. She co-/authored over 80 peer-reviewed journal articles in high impact journals including the Journal of Controlled Release, Small, Nature Reviews Materials, and Theranostics. Her research focuses on inflammatory and genetic diseases of human epithelia, the development of novel therapeutic approaches and tissue engineering of complex, human-based organ models aiming for valid and predictive test systems for preclinical and fundamental research.

Yangyang Ye
(Tianjin Medical University, China)

A PhD student at Tianjin Medical University，specilized in Pediatric Dentistry，currently focused on oral biomaterials and tissue engineering.

Sing Yian Chew
(Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)

Dr. Sing Yian CHEW is a Professor at the School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She is known for her contributions in designing biomimetic scaffolds to understand and control cell fate. Dr. Chew’s most significant contribution is in the field of scaffold-mediated delivery of gene-silencing and biomimicking physical signals for neural tissue regeneration and remyelination. Specifically, her lab engineers bio-functional platforms for long-term delivery of biologics. These scaffolding constructs may be used for understanding and directing neural tissue regeneration after traumatic injuries, stem cell fate and host-implant integration. Since joining NTU, Dr. Chew has continued to embark on scientific learning and exchanges by serving as visiting scholar/professor at Johns Hopkins University, University of Edinburgh, INSERM (U698 and U791); University of Paris 13; University of Nantes; Jinan University in Guangzhou, China; Wyss Institute at Harvard. She is an Associate Editor at ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. She also serves as the editorial board member of Biomaterials, Experimental Neurology, Tissue Engineering, Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, Part A, Drug Delivery and Translational Research, Journal of Tissue Engineering.

Catherine Le Visage
(Inserm; University of Nantes, France)

Catherine Le Visage is a Research Director and the Deputy Director of the Regenerative Medicine and Skeleton lab in Nantes, France (www.rmes.univ-nantes.fr). She was trained as a Pharmacist, received her Ph.D. in Paris then performed a post-doc at the Johns Hopkins University (USA). She then joined the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research in a tenured position.
In the "Skeletal Physiopathology and Joint Regenerative Medicine" team headed by Prof J. Guicheux, her most recent works as a group leader have focused on innovative hydrogels as i) carriers of cells or bioactive molecules in the context of IVD disease and osteoarthritis and ii) biofabrication tools for the development of in vitro models.
She is an elected member of the TERMIS-EU Council, an elected member of the French Academy of Pharmacy, an Associate Editor for Biomaterials (Elsevier), a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of "ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces" and a reviewer for national and international funding agencies.
She has co-authored 81 publications (h-index 34) and 11 patents and has given 70 invited lectures/seminars at national and international conferences. WoS profile: E-5460-2011

Viola Vogel
(ETH Zurich, Switzerland)

Viola Vogel is Professor in the Department of Health Sciences and Technology (D-HEST) and is directing the Laboratory of Applied Mechanobiology at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. She holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Frankfurt (1987) based on her research conducted at the Max-Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen (1980-88). After her postdoctoral studies in the Department of Physics at UC Berkeley in nonlinear optics, she started her academic career at the University of Washington Seattle in Bioengineering (1990-2004) and was the founding Director of the Center for Nanotechnology (1997-2003). When moving to ETH Zurich in 2004, she initially joined the Department of Materials, and then co-founded (2012) the Department Health Sciences and Technology (D-HEST), in which she later served as Vice Chair (2016-2018) and then Chair (2018-2020). To enhance translational aspects, she became an Einstein Visiting Fellow at Charité Berlin in 2018. As most knowledge in Biology and Medicine is based on equilibrium structures of proteins, even today, she co-founded the ETH start-up Company Tandem Therapeutics in 2023 with the goal to exploit emerging knowledge in Mechanobiology for medical applications, with a focus in regenerative medicine.

With her background in Physics and Bioengineering, she pioneered the rapidly growing field of Molecular Mechanobiology and its medical applications, as she discovered many structural mechanisms how mechanical forces can turn proteins into mechano-chemical switches. Such mechanisms are exploited by bacteria, as well as by mammalian cells and tissues to sense and respond to mechanical forces and material properties, and if abnormal, can cause various diseases. She showed further how bacteria, platelets, immune and stem cells are functionally tuned by mechanobiological factors, and how this impacts our abilities to fight infections, as well as blood coagulation and tissue growth processes.

Her work was internationally recognized by numerous awards, major lectureships, services for international organizations and Institutions (Gordon Research Conferences Organization, Wyss Institute Boston, Human Frontiers Science Program, British Marshall Fund, Humboldt Foundation, Max-Planck Society, LMU Munich, etc), the U.S. government (including the PCAST committee that finalized the National Nanotechnology Initiative, the National Research Council and NASA), scientific advisory boards in Germany, France, Netherlands, U.S.A., Singapore, and the U.K.. She was awarded the Otto-Hahn Medal (1989), the Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics (2006), the International Solvay Chair in Chemistry (Brussels 2012), and received an ERC Advanced Grant (2008), as well as an Honorary Doctoral Degree from Tampere University (2012). She was a member of the Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum, serves on the Jury of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (since 2015) and was elected into the Leopoldina (2018), the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (2019), as well as the US National Academy of Engineering (2020) and the National Academy of Sciences (2021) and most recently into the Royal Academy of Engineering UK (2023).

Catherine Le Visage
(University of Nantes; Inserm, France, France)

Catherine Le Visage is a Research Director and the Deputy Director of the Regenerative Medicine and Skeleton lab in Nantes, France (www.rmes.univ-nantes.fr). She was trained as a Pharmacist, received her Ph.D. in Paris then performed a post-doc at the Johns Hopkins University (USA). She then joined the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research in a tenured position.
In the "Skeletal Physiopathology and Joint Regenerative Medicine" team headed by Prof J. Guicheux, her most recent works as a group leader have focused on innovative hydrogels as i) carriers of cells or bioactive molecules in the context of IVD disease and osteoarthritis and ii) biofabrication tools for the development of in vitro models.
She is an elected member of the TERMIS-EU Council, an elected member of the French Academy of Pharmacy, an Associate Editor for Biomaterials (Elsevier), a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of "ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces" and a reviewer for national and international funding agencies.
She has co-authored 81 publications (h-index 34) and 11 patents and has given 70 invited lectures/seminars at national and international conferences. WoS profile: E-5460-2011

Gary L. Bowlin
(University of Memphis, USA)

Dr. Bowlin is a Professor and Herbert Herff Chair of Excellence at The University of Memphis in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Bowlin’s collaborative and pioneering research focuses on the application of electrospun templates for tissue regenerative applications. Dr. Bowlin’s laboratory has published extensively with over 155 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Google Scholar data shows his group’s published works have been cited over 23,200 times (H-index of 66). Dr. Bowlin has been granted 17 U.S. Patents and over 250 foreign patents. These patents have helped to start five different companies and several commercially available and regulatory agencies cleared products. The latest company, Sweetbio, Inc., is Memphis based and commercializing a honey-based wound healing dressing, APIS®. He is a Fellow in the National Academy of Inventors and American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. In addition, he is the Inaugural and current President of the International Society for Biomedical Polymers and Polymeric Biomaterials and Treasurer for the International Society for Applied Cardiovascular Biology.

Younan Xia
(Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)

Younan Xia is the Brock Family Chair and Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholar at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received his B.S. degree in chemical physics from the University of Science and Technology of China in 1987, M.S. degree in chemistry from University of Pennsylvania (with Alan G. MacDiarmid) in 1993, and Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry from Harvard University (with George M. Whitesides) in 1996. His group invented a myriad of nanomaterials with well-controlled properties. These nanomaterials have found use in applications related to plasmonics, electronics, display, catalysis, energy conversion, nanomedicine, and regenerative medicine. For example, his technology on silver nanowires has been commercialized for the manufacturing of flexible, transparent, and conductive coatings used in applications such as touchscreen display, flexible electronics, and photovoltaics. His technology on electrospun nanofibers has been licensed for the successful commercialization of multiple clinical products, including those for the management of surgical and trauma wounds, along with pressure, diabetic, venous, and chronic vascular ulcers. Xia has co-authored over 860 publications in peer-reviewed journals, together with a total citation of more than 186,000 and an h-index of 214. He was ranked a Top 10 Chemist and Materials Scientist in the world based on the number of citations per publication. He has received a number of awards, including ACS National Award for Creative Invention (2023), MRS Medal (2017), ACS National Award in the Chemistry of Materials (2013), NIH Director's Pioneer Award (2006), and NSF CAREER (2000). More information can be found at http://www.nanocages.com.

Gary L. Bowlin
(University of Memphis, USA)

Dr. Bowlin is a Professor and Herbert Herff Chair of Excellence at The University of Memphis in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Bowlin’s collaborative and pioneering research focuses on the application of electrospun templates for tissue regenerative applications. Dr. Bowlin’s laboratory has published extensively with over 155 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Google Scholar data shows his group’s published works have been cited over 23,200 times (H-index of 66). Dr. Bowlin has been granted 17 U.S. Patents and over 250 foreign patents. These patents have helped to start five different companies and several commercially available and regulatory agencies cleared products. The latest company, Sweetbio, Inc., is Memphis based and commercializing a honey-based wound healing dressing, APIS®. He is a Fellow in the National Academy of Inventors and American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. In addition, he is the Inaugural and current President of the International Society for Biomedical Polymers and Polymeric Biomaterials and Treasurer for the International Society for Applied Cardiovascular Biology.

Sang Jin Lee
(Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, USA)

Dr. Sang Jin Lee currently holds a tenured position as a Professor at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea, in 2003. He went on to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship at the Laboratories for Tissue Engineering and Cellular Therapeutics at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston and the WFIRM, where he currently serves as a faculty member. In addition, he holds a cross-appointment to the Virginia Tech-WFU Biomedical Engineering and Science.

Dr. Lee has authored over 165 scientific publications and reviews, edited two textbooks, and written 37 chapters in several books. His research focus lies in biomaterials science, specifically in the field of biodegradable polymers and tunable hydrogels, with a deep understanding of key research areas for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. He and his team have successfully developed various biomaterial systems, including drug/protein delivery systems, nano/micro-scaled topographical features, and hybrid materials that have significantly improved cellular interactions by providing appropriate environmental cues.

His current research primarily focuses on developing a cutting-edge 3D bioprinting strategy capable of manufacturing complex, multi-cellular living tissue constructs. To establish a clinically relevant bioprinting workflow, his team has developed multiple biomaterial formulations as bioinks, which provide the tissue-specific biological microenvironment required for the successful delivery of cells to discrete locations within the 3D tissue architectures. These concerted efforts proved pivotal in securing the NASA Vascular Tissue Challenge win for the WFIRM team. By employing the 3D bioprinting strategy developed in his lab, the teams engineered thick, vascularized tissue constructs with tissue functions, ultimately securing 1st and 2nd prizes in the competition. Excitingly, the next step involves sending the engineered tissue samples into space to test potential mitigation strategies needed for long-term deep-space missions.

Since 2004, Dr. Lee has had the privilege of mentoring a total of 176 trainees from diverse career levels, including 20 graduate students, 33 postdoctoral fellows, 8 research trainees, 36 visiting scholars, 8 laboratory technicians, 13 undergraduate students, 30 summer internship undergraduate students, 3 high school internship students, and 27 international graduate students. As a mentor, he remains committed to continually improving his mentoring skills, leveraging various approaches to train and guide aspiring scientists, enabling them to pursue successful careers in science.

Alvaro Mata
(Nottingham University, United Kingdom)

Alvaro Mata is Professor in Biomedical Engineering and Biomaterials in the School of Pharmacy and the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nottingham. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Kansas, a Master's Degree from the University of Strathclyde, and a Doctor of Engineering Degree from Cleveland State University working with Prof. Shuvo Roy at the Cleveland Clinic. He conducted his postdoctoral training with Prof. Samuel Stupp at Northwestern University. His group focuses on bioinspired and biocooperative strategies to build functional biomaterials with biomolecules. His work has led to eight patents or patent applications; publications in journals including Nature Chemistry, Nature Communications, and Science Advances, and recognitions such as a Welcome Trust Frontiers Innovation Award, a Ramon y Cajal Fellowship, and an ERC Staring Grant. He is President of the Mineralized Tissue Group of the International Association of Dental Research and Co-chair of the Manufacturing, Commercial and Regulatory Committee of the UK Regenerative Medicine Platform (UKRMP2) - Smart Materials Hub.

Chang Hun Lee
(Columbia University, USA)

Dr. Lee received his BS in Biomedical Engineering from Inje University (South Korea) in 2002. He completed his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University in 2010 and received postdoctoral training until 2014 at Center for Craniofacial Regeneration in College of Dental Medicine. Dr. Lee is currently an Associate Professor with Tenure, Associate Director for Center for Dental and Craniofacial Research, and Director of Research at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine.

Dr. Lee’s research focuses on in situ regeneration of musculoskeletal and craniofacial tissues by harnessing endogenous stem cells. Dr. Lee has authored several flagship papers that opened the door to this new field of in situ regeneration. Those papers were published in prestigious journals such as the Lancet, Science Translational Medicine and Journal of Clinical Investigation. His concentration area encompasses densely aligned connective tissues, namely the knee meniscus, tendon, and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc, and his research in this field has been internationally recognized. Dr. Lee has been invited to lectures at numerous local and regional, as well as national and international institutions. His tendon work published in Journal Clinical Investigation was highlighted in New England Journal of Medicine as a highly translational stem cell therapeutics. Dr. Lee is a recipient of numerous awards, including Best paper award at Orthopedic Research Society (2020 & 2017), NIRA at ORS (2013), Mentor of the Year Award at Columbia University (2018 & 2023), Best Research Mentor Award from Bergen Academy (2011), Webster Jee Young Investigator Award (2009), and Young Investigator Award at Society of Physical Regulation in Biology and Medicine, and more. His research has been supported by multiple NIH R01s and R03 and foundation grants.

In terms of mentorship, Dr. Lee has mentored total 75 students with various academic backgrounds, including dental and medical students, and graduate students. His students have received over 40 research awards at local and national level. In addition, Dr. Lee has also been actively participated in community outreach programs for years such as NIH Bridge program to support socioeconomic minority students at local community colleges and Harlem HK Maker lab program to support underrepresented high school students.

Woojin Han
(Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA)

Dr. Woojin Han is an Assistant Professor in the Leni and Peter W. May Department of Orthopaedics and a faculty member in the Black Family Stem Cell Institute and Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Han received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rochester, and his M.S.E and Ph.D. in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania. After completing this graduate work, he joined Andrés García’s laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology for his postdoctoral training. In 2021, he joined the Department of Orthopaedics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai as a tenure track Assistant Professor, where he leads the Laboratory for Cell-Instructive Biomaterials and Regenerative Engineering. Dr. Han’s research has been supported by multiple awards, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32), Glenn/American Federation for Aging Research Postdoctoral Fellowship for Translational Research on Aging, and is currently supported by the NIH Stephen I. Katz Early-Stage Investigator Research Project Grant (R01) and other collaborative research grants.

Keekyung Kim
(University of Calgary, Canada)

Dr. Keekyoung Kim is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at the prestigious Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary. Dr. Kim earned his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kyung Hee University, South Korea. After completing his undergraduate studies, he distinguished himself with six years of valuable experience as a manufacturing engineer, working for SsangYong Motor Company and Korea Aerospace Industries LTD. Driven by a passion for knowledge and innovation, Dr. Kim ventured to Canada to pursue advanced studies. He obtained an M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Calgary and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto. During his doctoral research, he was the recipient of the esteemed NSERC PGS D scholarship for three years, further attesting to his academic prowess and dedication to research. Following the successful completion of his Ph.D., Dr. Kim moved to work as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Mechanical Engineering and Pediatric Cardiology at Stanford University. Subsequently, he took on the role of Research Fellow, generously supported by the NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship, at both Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School and the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. This exceptional opportunity allowed him to immerse himself in the forefront of groundbreaking research and explore new avenues of scientific inquiry. Currently, Dr. Kim's research endeavors are centered around the pioneering development of advanced biomanufacturing platforms. His research focus lies in the fabrication of artificial tissues and organs for applications in regenerative medicine and drug discovery. Employing a diverse array of cutting-edge technologies, including 3D printing, micro/nanotechnology, and high-throughput screening, Dr. Kim's work promises to revolutionize the field and impact the lives of countless individuals in need of improved healthcare solutions.

Wei Liu
(Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China)

Wei LIU, MD, PhD.
Professor of Plastic Surgery and Tissue Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering Research. Fellow of the Chinese Society for Biomaterials, Fellow of The International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering (IUSBSE) and Chinese Delegate of IUSBSE.