Zhuoran Wu
(National University of Singapore, Singapore)

I am currently a doctoral student at the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) in the National University of Singapore (NUS). Before enrolling as a doctoral student in NUS, I was a research scientist leading multiple research projects in NUS as well as in the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). My past research topics are mainly focused on healthcare biomaterials, while it also encompasses the field of green chemistry and circular economy. My contributions in the field of healthcare biomaterials have led to the discovery of a ‘trojan horse’-like anticancer therapy, which harnesses the natural obsession of amino acids in cancers to target a broad range of cancers with excellent in-vitro and in-vivo cancer-killing performance (10.1002/smll.202003757). In addition, I developed an immune-modulatory material that can apply to bone implants as an anti-MRSA therapy while I was in Dr. Andy Tay’s lab (NUS, Dept of BME; manuscript in preparation). I also headed the battery-recycling team in NTU and was the leading inventor of a green process to recycle two wastes-spent Li batteries and orange peel discards-in one place (US Patent App. 17/371,191).
Through researching for the past six years and after thorough consideration, I have finally decided on my future research path, that is developing and engineering biomaterials for cancer therapy. Making the world more sustainable is certainly rewarding, but coming up with a strategy to cure cancers is more challenging and more meaningful to me. So, here I am! I am already on board and now my research is focused on engineering biomimetic hydrogels for ex vivo cancer models, with a particular interest in models that apply for drug testing in patient-derived peritoneal carcinomatosis explants.
Prior to my research career and pursuit of doctoral degree, I earned my master’s degree specialized in biotechnology in NTU in 2018 and my bachelor’s degree specialized in polymer science in South China University of Technology in 2016.

Soah Lee
(Sungkyunkwan University, Korea, Republic of)

Dr. Lee is an Assistant Professor in the School of Pharmacy at Sungkyunkwan University. Her unique educational background and research training make her an outstanding interdisciplinary tissue engineer who can bridge the gap between biomaterials engineering, iPSC biology, and developmental biology. The ultimate goal of her research is to develop an in vitro microphysiological system that can revolutionize the drug development process by replacing conventional non-human disease-irrelevant models. To achieve this goal, she was dedicated to developing biomimetic biomaterials, studying biomaterial-cell interaction, and elucidating molecular mechanisms underlying cardiomyocyte proliferation and differentiation during her training, which led to 30+ peer-reviewed articles including high impact journals like Cell Stem Cell, Circulation, and Biomaterials. At SKKU, she is expanding her research horizon by developing disease-relevant high-throughput drug screening platform utilizing iPSC technology as well as bioprinting technology. Her excellence in research has been recognized by multiple awards including AHA 2022 BCVS Young Investigator Poster Awards and Manuscript Winner of 2016 Young Investigator Award of the Society for Biomaterials. Soah has also been a well-funded researcher supported by Stanford Bio-X, Stanford Child Health Research Institute, NIH in US, and Ministry of Education, Health and Wellfare, as well as Samsung in South Korea.

Deogil Kim
(Dongguk University, Korea, Republic of)

I have completed my Ph.D. studies at CHA University in February 2023 under the guidance of Professors Dong Keun Han and Soo-Hong Lee, and I am currently a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Dongguk University, South Korea. I am focused on investigating biomaterial-based dynamic 3D microenvironments interacting with various stem cells for mechanotransduction and its applications in cell reprogramming and tissue regeneration.

Hwan Kim
(Korea National University of Transportation, 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.

Christopher Chong
(La Trobe University, Australia)

3rd year PhD candidate at La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences / La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Reynolds Lab - Self-assembled Nanomaterials.

My project focuses on self-assembled peptide nanomaterials as 3D microenvironments for mesenchymal stem cell cultures and chondrogenesis.

Ishay Attar
(BioChange ltd, Israel)

Ishay is a serial biotech entrepreneur: 4 companies founded/2 EXITs, with ~20 years of experience in leading companies developing innovative technologies and medical devices. Ishay has experience in developing applications for medical treatment based on polymers and biological scaffolds and their various applications in the medical field and in particular on cross-linked gelatin. In the past, he founded and was CEO of LifeBond, a biosurgical startup acquired in 2019 by (BD-Bard BDX on NYSE) and OutSense which was acquired by a large corporate in 2022. Ishay has a degree in biotechnology engineering, a master's degree in biomedical engineering, and a master's degree in business administration. Ishay was chosen as one of the 100 most influential Technion graduates. He is the inventor of 21 patents.

Dewei Zhao
(Affliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University, China)

Biodegradable metallic materials

Chun-Yi Yang
(Tsinghua University, China)

I am Chun-Yi Yang, currently pursuing a doctoral degree at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University.

In the realm of research, I am dedicated to the regeneration and repair of both central and peripheral nervous system injuries, wound healing, and rapid hemostasis. My work centers around a diverse array of materials including magnetic nanoparticles, piezoelectric materials, thermoelectric materials, magneto-electric materials, high-entropy oxides, nanofibers, and hydrogel materials.

Through these materials, I have developed innovative products such as neural conduits and wound dressings. One of my notable achievements involves utilizing magnetically responsive hydrogels for the treatment of spinal cord injuries, delving into the underlying mechanisms.

Furthermore, I have leveraged piezoelectric materials to respond to mechanical stimuli within the body, creating self-powered environments for the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries. Additionally, I have explored the use of magneto-electric nanoparticles to generate electrical stimulation for the treatment of central nervous system injuries.

By employing electrospinning techniques, I have crafted nanofibers for wound dressings and rapid hemostasis. Leveraging the active surface potential of high-entropy oxides, I have developed catalytic materials capable of chemical dynamic therapy for applications in fields such as tumor and neural-related treatments.

I am driven by a profound passion for pushing the boundaries of materials science and its transformative potential in the field of regenerative medicine. I am eager to collaborate with like-minded individuals and contribute to groundbreaking advancements in our collective pursuit of scientific discovery.

Jeong-Kee Yoon
(Chung-Ang University, Korea, Republic of)

Dr. Jeong-Kee Yoon is an associate professor in the Department of Systems Biotechnology at Chung-Ang University, Republic of Korea. He received his Ph.D. degree from Seoul National University, Republic of Korea in 2017, and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Georgia Institute of Technology until 2021. His research interests are at the interface of regenerative medicine and biomedical engineering, primarily focused on vascular engineering using stem cells, engineered exosomes, and 3D cell culture methods for tissue regeneration and disease modeling. He has published 51 peer-reviewed articles, and is a co-inventor on two registered patents. In terms of education, he teaches Organic Chemistry, Biomaterials, and Biomedical Engineering to undergraduates of non-engineering majors, and Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine to graduate students. He has been selected twice (in 2022 and 2023) as a Teacher of Excellence at Chung-Ang University based on surveys completed by 70-80 students per class.

Sally McArthur
(Deakin University, Australia)

Dr Sally McArthur is the Director of the Institute for Frontier Materials at Deakin University. Sally leads teams focusing on research and development for the sustainability and resilience of all materials and manufacturing sectors including energy, biotech, food, defence, and space. Prior to joining Deakin in August 2022, she was a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Director of the Swinburne Manufacturing Futures Research Institute, and co-Director of MedTechVic, a Victorian Government initiative leading human-centred product development for the assistive technologies sector. Over the last ten years Sally has led several initiatives at the interface between commercialisation, entrepreneurship, and research translation including Swinburne’s Innovation Precinct, the Medical Device Partnering Program, and the ARC Training Centre in Biodevices.
Sally’s personal research focuses on the development of surface and interface engineering and the associated characterisation tools across all sectors with a specific passion for biointerfaces and energy. Sally regularly collaborates with industry partners to develop ideas into technically and commercially viable products and services. Sally was made a Fellow of the Australia Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) in 2021 in recognition of her work at the interface between academic and industry. Sally obtained her B.Eng (Hons) in Materials Engineering and M. Eng. Sci (Biomedical Engineering) from Monash University and her PhD from UNSW in collaboration with CSIRO and Ciba Vision. Sally was a CSIRO Science Leader in Biomedical Manufacturing from 2017-2021.

Sally McArthur
(Deakin University, Australia)

Dr Sally McArthur is the Director of the Institute for Frontier Materials at Deakin University. Sally leads teams focusing on research and development for the sustainability and resilience of all materials and manufacturing sectors including energy, biotech, food, defence, and space. Prior to joining Deakin in August 2022, she was a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Director of the Swinburne Manufacturing Futures Research Institute, and co-Director of MedTechVic, a Victorian Government initiative leading human-centred product development for the assistive technologies sector. Over the last ten years Sally has led several initiatives at the interface between commercialisation, entrepreneurship, and research translation including Swinburne’s Innovation Precinct, the Medical Device Partnering Program, and the ARC Training Centre in Biodevices.
Sally’s personal research focuses on the development of surface and interface engineering and the associated characterisation tools across all sectors with a specific passion for biointerfaces and energy. Sally regularly collaborates with industry partners to develop ideas into technically and commercially viable products and services. Sally was made a Fellow of the Australia Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) in 2021 in recognition of her work at the interface between academic and industry. Sally obtained her B.Eng (Hons) in Materials Engineering and M. Eng. Sci (Biomedical Engineering) from Monash University and her PhD from UNSW in collaboration with CSIRO and Ciba Vision. Sally was a CSIRO Science Leader in Biomedical Manufacturing from 2017-2021.

Behnam Akhavan
(University of Newcastle, Australia)

Dr. Behnam Akhavan is a Senior Lecturer and an Australian Research Council (ARC) DECRA Fellow at the University of Newcastle, where he leads the Plasma Bio-engineering Research Group.

In 2015, Dr. Akhavan earned his PhD in Advanced Manufacturing from the University of South Australia. His groundbreaking research on innovative plasma processes utilizing ionized gas to engineer materials for various modern applications in medicine and environmental remediation earned him recognition as one of UniSA's Enterprising Faces. Following his PhD, Dr. Akhavan worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Max Planck and Fraunhofer Institutes in Germany. Prior to joining the University of Newcastle in 2022, Dr. Akhavan served as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney, across the Schools of Biomedical Engineering and Physics.

At the cutting-edge Plasma Bio-engineering Lab, Dr. Akhavan and his team focus on developing groundbreaking solutions for contemporary challenges. Their research includes surface engineering of infection and rapidly-healing bone implants, cardiovascular devices like stents and heart valves, and artificial nerves and blood vessels. Dr. Akhavan's research also focuses on plasma polymer nanoparticles for precise drug delivery in cancer therapy, as well as developing particles for toxin removal and water purification.

Dr. Akhavan's exceptional contributions to Biomedical Engineering were honored with the Most Innovative Engineers Award from Engineers Australia.

Mengnan Dennis
(Norther Carolina State University, USA)

I am a PhD Candidate in the Biomedical Textile Research group at North Carolina State University, Wilson College of Textiles. I have been working on the development of advanced composite foam tissue scaffolds with controllable pore size and pore interconnectivity, utilizing a range of foam matrix polymers that includes both resorbable and durable biocompatible polymers, built into composite foam structures with high porosity and interconnected pores that include fiber, yarn, and mesh reinforcement as well as laminated biomolecule surfaces that enhance cell attachment, growth, migration within the foam, and differentiation. My focus has been on manufacturing process development and control, to enable high-quality and consistent composite structure fabrication, optimized for each application. I find it very interesting as I discover the immense flexibility of composite biomaterials when compared to the inherent limits of typical monolithic biomaterials. The main challenge of my dissertation has become to identify and retain focus on just one or a few application areas because of the temptation to endlessly explore the vast horizon of possible applications. While the application of these composite scaffold structures for tissue engineering remains very promising, it is also a more distant technological goal, and therefore I have decided to include one specific application where this technology can be adopted quickly with significant commercial impact. This is the focus on the development of composite scaffolds as the medium for reaction columns for cell-based therapy and cell reprogramming. This is an area where I personally have very little direct technical experience, but I appreciate the great importance of this emerging field of health technology, and I am very excited to enter into a multidisciplinary collaborative effort to advance this technology by developing new enabling biomaterials. Honestly, it would be difficult not to get excited about the potential of the technology I am working on for my dissertation. I began developing these composite structures initially for use in tissue engineering, with a specific focus on skin tissue, but due to the great flexibility of these composite structures in terms of internal mechanical, biocompatibility, degradation, and surface characteristics, several additional applications of this core technology have been identified. This requires modification and optimization of these composite foam structures to engineer them specifically for each potential application, which naturally leads to excellent opportunities for collaborative technology development. The arc of my doctoral career thus far has been very fulfilling to me. I was awarded a fellowship in my first year Institute of Textile Technology Fellowship, at North Carolina State University, and I have added many skills related to material characterization, process design, cell culture, and imaging. I am very enthusiastic about contributing to new and productive interdisciplinary technology development.

Cristina Lopez-Serrano
(CBMN, UMR5248, CNRS, France)

PhD student in biomaterials at Université de Bordeaux (France) and Université Laval (Canada)

Bogdan Istrate
(Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi, Romania)

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Istrate Bogdan, ”Gh. Asachi” Technical Univeristy of Iasi, 35 years, has expertise in characterizing biodegradable Mg-based alloys, Ti-based biocompatible alloys, thermal coatings, modern methods of micro and nano structural characterization. He has published as an author / co-author a number of 140 scientific papers, at 35 being the main author; of the 140 scientific articles: 60 articles are with ISI impact factor (rated ISI Web of Science), 12 of them being the first
author/corresponding author; 35 articles are ISI Proceedings (conference volumes indexed Web of Science); 43 articles are in journals or conference volumes indexed BDI more than 400 times (278 citations are in ISI indexed articles – h-index ISI: 12;
h-index Scopus: 14). He is the co-author of an OSIM patent and 6 OSIM patent applications, of which 4 patent applications are in the field of Mg-based alloys. He has published the following books as first author “Magnesium-based biodegradable metallic materials”, ”Metallographic expertise” and a laboratory guide – “Materials Science and Engineering – Laboratory guide” (co-author). Within the research – development projects he led as research partner/manager 5 research contracts and also been a member of 20 other research project teams.
The doctoral thesis entitled ” Cercetări asupra influenței unor depuneri superficiale pe aliaje metalice biodegradabile utilizate în domeniul medical ” fits best in the field of the project proposal, being awarded with the “SUM CUM LAUDE” grade.
Also, in 2019 he won the “Gheorghe Vasilcă” award in the field of advanced materials tribology, offered by the National Institute of Aerospace Research – INCAS Bucharest, in 2020 he won the EXCELLENCE AWARD, in the category “Young researcher with the
best performance in scientific research ”, offered by the“ Gheorghe Asachi ”Technical University of Iași and in 2022 the Diploma of Excellence of Modtech Awards for Most Performing Young Researcher.
Website: https://istratebogdan.com/

Bogdan Istrate
(”Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Romania, Romania)

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Istrate Bogdan, ”Gh. Asachi” Technical Univeristy of Iasi, 35 years, has expertise in characterizing biodegradable Mg-based alloys, Ti-based biocompatible alloys, thermal coatings, modern methods of micro and nano structural characterization. He has published as an author / co-author a number of 140 scientific papers, at 35 being the main author; of the 140 scientific articles: 60 articles are with ISI impact factor (rated ISI Web of Science), 12 of them being the first
author/corresponding author; 35 articles are ISI Proceedings (conference volumes indexed Web of Science); 43 articles are in journals or conference volumes indexed BDI more than 400 times (278 citations are in ISI indexed articles – h-index ISI: 12;
h-index Scopus: 14). He is the co-author of an OSIM patent and 6 OSIM patent applications, of which 4 patent applications are in the field of Mg-based alloys. He has published the following books as first author “Magnesium-based biodegradable metallic materials”, ”Metallographic expertise” and a laboratory guide – “Materials Science and Engineering – Laboratory guide” (co-author). Within the research – development projects he led as research partner/manager 5 research contracts and also been a member of 20 other research project teams.
The doctoral thesis entitled ” Cercetări asupra influenței unor depuneri superficiale pe aliaje metalice biodegradabile utilizate în domeniul medical ” fits best in the field of the project proposal, being awarded with the “SUM CUM LAUDE” grade.
Also, in 2019 he won the “Gheorghe Vasilcă” award in the field of advanced materials tribology, offered by the National Institute of Aerospace Research – INCAS Bucharest, in 2020 he won the EXCELLENCE AWARD, in the category “Young researcher with the
best performance in scientific research ”, offered by the“ Gheorghe Asachi ”Technical University of Iași and in 2022 the Diploma of Excellence of Modtech Awards for Most Performing Young Researcher.
Website: https://istratebogdan.com/

Cuong Luu
(Griffith University, Australia)

Cuong Hung Luu is an alumnus of Ton Duc Thang University. He accomplished his B.Eng. degree in chemical engineering with high distinction in 2020. Currently, he is pursuing his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at the Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, under the expert guidance of Associate Professor Hang Thu Ta and Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen. His research direction is committed to advancing healthcare materials through innovative surface coatings based on polymeric and nanomaterials, with a primary focus on their application in antithrombotic and antibacterial purposes.

ASHOK KUMAR
(Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur-208016, UP, India)

Prof. Ashok Kumar is currently Professor of Bioengineering at Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering and head of the Centre for Environmental Science and Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. He is also coordinator of Centre of Excellence in Orthopaedics and Prosthetics at Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology, IIT Kanpur. He serves as visiting Professor at Aalto University, Finland and Adjunct Professor at IIT Jammu. Prof. Kumar’s current research interests are in the area of biomaterials and regenerative medicine, nanotechnology and drug delivery. Some of his research achievements in the regenerative medicine have been designing of functional biomaterials and therapeutic approaches for critical defect healing of bone, liver, cardiac, diabetic wounds, peripheral nerve and developing bioartificial liver support system using cryogel matrices. He has published over 230 research publications and has edited six books and has around 30 patents some of which has been licensed. Over the time he has transferred technologies to industry that include, cryogel filter for leukocyte depletion for safe blood transfusion and hydroxyapatite based bioactive bone substitutes for bone healing. Moreover, his lab-driven start-up "RegenMedica" is currently working to develop synthetic alternatives for bone substitutes and skin grafts and hemostatic agents. He is recipient of TATA innovation fellowship from DBT, India; academic award from National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) and is the elected fellow of “Biomaterials Science and Engineering” (FBSE).

Yi-Chen Li
(Feng Chia University, Chinese Taipei)

Yi-Chen Ethan Li is a faculty in Department of Chemical Engineering, Feng Chia University, Taiwan (2018-present). He received a B.Eng. in Chemical and materials Engineering from Tamkang University in 2006, after which he then obtained a Ph.D. in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at National Taiwan University in 2013. Dr. Li then joined Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technologies, and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering as a postdoctoral fellow from 2015 to 2017. Then, he went to the School of Light Industry and Engineering, South China University of Technology, as an associate professor in 2017.
His group is interested in studying the fundamental research of tissue engineering, developing artificial tissues/organs and organs-on-chips models via 3D bioprinting and microfluidic technologies. Through this research, he wants to apply the theories from fundamental research and the developed models further to the applications of drug testing/screening, developmental biology, biosensors, and regenerative medicine.

Ana Salazar Puerta
(The Ohio State University, USA)

I am a Biomedical Engineer from Colombia and a Post Doctoral Fellow working at The Ohio State University. I got my Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering in 2022. Currently, I am working on designing novel nanocarrier-based therapies for gene delivery, cell reprogramming, and tissue engineering/regenerative medicine. My research is focused on using different gene-based delivery platforms for reprogramming and therapeutic applications for peripheral nerve injuries, lung inflammation, and discogenic back pain.

TAI-HORNG YOUNG
(National Taiwan University, Chinese Taipei)

Tai-Horng Young is currently Distinguished Professor at National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei, Taiwan. Since 2000 he was a Full Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University. He received several awards, including Outstanding Research Award of Ministry of Science and Technology, and has been Chair Professor of National Taiwan University since 2012. From 2008 to 2011, he served as the director of Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University. He has been a member of many academic societies and has been selected as the president of Formosa Association of Regenerative Medicine (2012-2016).

ASHOK KUMAR
(Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), India)

Prof. Ashok Kumar is currently Professor of Bioengineering at Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering and head of the Centre for Environmental Science and Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. He is also coordinator of Centre of Excellence in Orthopaedics and Prosthetics at Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology, IIT Kanpur. He serves as visiting Professor at Aalto University, Finland and Adjunct Professor at IIT Jammu. Prof. Kumar’s current research interests are in the area of biomaterials and regenerative medicine, nanotechnology and drug delivery. Some of his research achievements in the regenerative medicine have been designing of functional biomaterials and therapeutic approaches for critical defect healing of bone, liver, cardiac, diabetic wounds, peripheral nerve and developing bioartificial liver support system using cryogel matrices. He has published over 230 research publications and has edited six books and has around 30 patents some of which has been licensed. Over the time he has transferred technologies to industry that include, cryogel filter for leukocyte depletion for safe blood transfusion and hydroxyapatite based bioactive bone substitutes for bone healing. Moreover, his lab-driven start-up "RegenMedica" is currently working to develop synthetic alternatives for bone substitutes and skin grafts and hemostatic agents. He is recipient of TATA innovation fellowship from DBT, India; academic award from National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) and is the elected fellow of “Biomaterials Science and Engineering” (FBSE).

Robert Kapsa
(RMIT University, Australia)

Prof Robert Kapsa is a Molecular and (Stem) Cell Biologist (PhD, 1996), with 27 years’ experience in Neuroscience research focused on developing autologous regenerative therapies for muscle disorders. He has co-authored three book chapters and one book and 150 peer-reviewed publication outputs which yield >5,900 citations. In 1999 He was appointed the inaugural Deputy Director and Head of Research at the Melbourne Neuromuscular Research Institute (MNRI) and Clinical Neurosciences, St Vincent’s Hospital (SVHM). In 2000, Pr Kapsa initiated his ongoing program to develop novel gene editing-based autologous regenerative cell therapies for neuromuscular disease and engineering functional muscle and nerve tissues.

From 2009-2020, Kapsa held concurrent positions as Professor and Principal Fellow (Bionics) the University of Wollongong, and Professor and Head of Research Neuroscience, SVHM/UoM. He was Bionics platform leader at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Electromaterials Science (2006 - 2014) and deputy (2014 – 2021) on renewal of the centre.

In 2020, He was appointed the Inaugural Professor of Biofabrication and Tissue Engineering in the School of Engineering (RMIT), while maintaining his honorary SVHM Head of Research (Neuroscience) position. In 2022-23 he was awarded the RMIT VC Award for Research Excellence and his role at RMIT has given him more scope to expand his muscle engineering into novel translational foci via the powerful RMIT ECP infrastructure. This has been augmented by commercial partnerships within the (eg , UBI BioSensors, Lubris, Facio BioThetrapies) where Kapsa continues to develop autologous regenerative cell therapies for muscle loss/dysfunction and cell/materials biomimetics modelling/therapies for the CNS and PNS.

Robert Kapsa
(RMIT University, Australia)

Prof Robert Kapsa is a Molecular and (Stem) Cell Biologist (PhD, 1996), with 27 years’ experience in Neuroscience research focused on developing autologous regenerative therapies for muscle disorders. He has co-authored three book chapters and one book and 150 peer-reviewed publication outputs which yield >5,900 citations. In 1999 He was appointed the inaugural Deputy Director and Head of Research at the Melbourne Neuromuscular Research Institute (MNRI) and Clinical Neurosciences, St Vincent’s Hospital (SVHM). In 2000, Pr Kapsa initiated his ongoing program to develop novel gene editing-based autologous regenerative cell therapies for neuromuscular disease and engineering functional muscle and nerve tissues.

From 2009-2020, Kapsa held concurrent positions as Professor and Principal Fellow (Bionics) the University of Wollongong, and Professor and Head of Research Neuroscience, SVHM/UoM. He was Bionics platform leader at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Electromaterials Science (2006 - 2014) and deputy (2014 – 2021) on renewal of the centre.

In 2020, He was appointed the Inaugural Professor of Biofabrication and Tissue Engineering in the School of Engineering (RMIT), while maintaining his honorary SVHM Head of Research (Neuroscience) position. In 2022-23 he was awarded the RMIT VC Award for Research Excellence and his role at RMIT has given him more scope to expand his muscle engineering into novel translational foci via the powerful RMIT ECP infrastructure. This has been augmented by commercial partnerships within the (eg , UBI BioSensors, Lubris, Facio BioThetrapies) where Kapsa continues to develop autologous regenerative cell therapies for muscle loss/dysfunction and cell/materials biomimetics modelling/therapies for the CNS and PNS.

Alexis Wolfel
(University of Twente, Netherlands)

As a polymer chemist with a solid background in organic chemistry and materials, I’m passionate about creating and exploring new biomaterials and technologies for biomedical applications, particularly in drug delivery, theragnostics, tissue engineering, and biofabrication. I completed my doctoral degree in Polymer Chemistry at the National University of Córdoba and Freie Universität Berlin and currently serve as a postdoctoral researcher at the Developmental Bioengineering Department of the University of Twente.
Throughout my journey, I have had the privilege of hands-on work within esteemed scientific groups across Argentina, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands, fostering valuable networks and engaging in impactful projects. My expertise comprehends organic synthesis and polymer chemistry, stimuli-responsive hydrogels and nanogels for radiometry and drug delivery, biomimetic materials for cell-culture and tissue engineering, and proficiency in 3D-bioprinting techniques.
While my profile as an independent researcher was established in the past years, my current position nurtures my development as a young, emerging leader. In this regard, I have been fortunate to secure my first personal grants and contribute to project management while supporting and guiding young researchers in their scientific pursuits.

Aaqil Rifai
(University of Technology Sydney, Australia)

Dr. Aaqil Rifai is an early career researcher in the field of biomedical engineering. He currently works on self-assembled peptides for musculoskeletal tissue regeneration, particularly at the interface of bone and cartilage. During his PhD, he developed the first 3D-printed diamond-coated titanium scaffolds capable of promoting osseointegration. Within the past 3 years as an early career researcher, he has been successful in securing over $900,000 in research income. In addition to his research, Dr. Rifai's dedication to nurturing the next generation of scientific minds is evident in his role as a co-supervisor and mentor for his PhD students.

Song Liu
(University of Manitoba, Canada)

Song Liu is a Professor of Polymer Science & Engineering and directs the Biomaterials Synthesis and Surface Engineering Laboratory at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, MB. Dr. Liu earned a Ph.D. in Fiber and Polymer Science at the University of California, Davis.
Dr. Liu‘s research focuses on 1) the development of novel surface engineering techniques for chemically inert semicrystalline polymers; 2) the development of new biocidal and biocompatible materials; and 3) micro- and nano-encapsulation of bioactive agents for their targeted and controlled delivery. He has received over 2 M CAD in research funding as PI and over 2.7 M CAD as Co-PI or collaborator from various granting agencies (including NSERC, CIHR, CFI and Research Manitoba) for his pioneering work in exploring new durable and versatile surface modification techniques for chemically inert semicrystalline polymers, and developing new broad-spectrum biocides and “smart” polymeric materials. His research group has successfully developed a versatile polyester platform which can allow furnishing the surface with various bio-functionalities via “click” chemistry method in a spatially-controlled manner. This work lays an important foundation for well-controlled durable bio-functionalization of chemically inert semicrystalline polymers for their uses in medical devices such as anti-biofilm catheters, vascular grafts, drug release stents and wound dressings.
Dr. Liu has published 67 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals such as Advanced Functional Materials (impact factor (IF) 19.924), Advanced Healthcare Materials (IF 11.092), Carbohydrate Polymers (IF 10.723), ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (IF 10.383), Acta Biomaterialia (IF 10.633), Nanoscale (IF 8.307), Journal of Material Chemistry B (IF 7.571), Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine (IF 6.458), and Progress in Surface Science (IF 6.071). Dr. Liu’s research has also had successful translation to industry with five patent applications, two granted patents and two licensing agreements. He has won the 2012 Rh Award in Interdisciplinary Studies from the Winnipeg Rh Foundation in view of his leadership in interdisciplinary research. He received the 2018 Merit Award for Research, Scholarly Work and Creative Activities from the University of Manitoba, and the 2019 John Ogilvie Research Innovation Award of Canadian Society for Bioengineering CSBE/SCGAB. He is one of the recipients of the 2019 Outstanding Teacher from the University of Manitoba through the Students’ Teacher Recognition program, and the 2021 Graduating Class Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Price Faculty of Engineering, University of Manitoba.

Shuqing He
(Shenzhen Technology University, China)

Dr. Shuqing He is associate professor and the deputy dean of College of Health Science and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen Technology University. He received his bachelor’s degree in Materials Chemistry from Wuhan University of Technology in 2009 and a joint Ph.D. in Materials Science from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in 2014. He has ever spent several years research work in Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford University (MIPS), Singapore University of Technology and Design, Shenzhen University and Southern University of Science and Technology. His research interesting focuses on nanomedicine, molecular probes, biomedical imaging, biomedical materials for tumor diagnosis and treatment. He has publishedover 30 SCI articles in top peer-reviewed journals, such as Chemical Society Reviews, Nano Today, Nano Letters, Advanced Materials，Advanced Optical Materials, Advanced Science，Small, etc. Moreover, His research work has been supported many funding, such as National Natural Science
Foundation of China, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation, etc.

Song Liu
(University of Manitoba, Canada)

Song Liu is a Professor of Polymer Science & Engineering and directs the Biomaterials Synthesis and Surface Engineering Laboratory at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, MB. Dr. Liu earned a Ph.D. in Fiber and Polymer Science at the University of California, Davis.
Dr. Liu‘s research focuses on 1) the development of novel surface engineering techniques for chemically inert semicrystalline polymers; 2) the development of new biocidal and biocompatible materials; and 3) micro- and nano-encapsulation of bioactive agents for their targeted and controlled delivery. He has received over 2 M CAD in research funding as PI and over 2.7 M CAD as Co-PI or collaborator from various granting agencies (including NSERC, CIHR, CFI and Research Manitoba) for his pioneering work in exploring new durable and versatile surface modification techniques for chemically inert semicrystalline polymers, and developing new broad-spectrum biocides and “smart” polymeric materials. His research group has successfully developed a versatile polyester platform which can allow furnishing the surface with various bio-functionalities via “click” chemistry method in a spatially-controlled manner. This work lays an important foundation for well-controlled durable bio-functionalization of chemically inert semicrystalline polymers for their uses in medical devices such as anti-biofilm catheters, vascular grafts, drug release stents and wound dressings.
Dr. Liu has published 67 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals such as Advanced Functional Materials (impact factor (IF) 19.924), Advanced Healthcare Materials (IF 11.092), Carbohydrate Polymers (IF 10.723), ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (IF 10.383), Acta Biomaterialia (IF 10.633), Nanoscale (IF 8.307), Journal of Material Chemistry B (IF 7.571), Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine (IF 6.458), and Progress in Surface Science (IF 6.071). Dr. Liu’s research has also had successful translation to industry with five patent applications, two granted patents and two licensing agreements. He has won the 2012 Rh Award in Interdisciplinary Studies from the Winnipeg Rh Foundation in view of his leadership in interdisciplinary research. He received the 2018 Merit Award for Research, Scholarly Work and Creative Activities from the University of Manitoba, and the 2019 John Ogilvie Research Innovation Award of Canadian Society for Bioengineering CSBE/SCGAB. He is one of the recipients of the 2019 Outstanding Teacher from the University of Manitoba through the Students’ Teacher Recognition program, and the 2021 Graduating Class Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Price Faculty of Engineering, University of Manitoba.

Shuqing He
(Shenzhen Technology University, China)

Dr. Shuqing He is associate professor and the deputy dean of College of Health Science and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen Technology University. He received his bachelor’s degree in Materials Chemistry from Wuhan University of Technology in 2009 and a joint Ph.D. in Materials Science from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in 2014. He has ever spent several years research work in Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford University (MIPS), Singapore University of Technology and Design, Shenzhen University and Southern University of Science and Technology. His research interesting focuses on nanomedicine, molecular probes, biomedical imaging, biomedical materials for tumor diagnosis and treatment. He has publishedover 30 SCI articles in top peer-reviewed journals, such as Chemical Society Reviews, Nano Today, Nano Letters, Advanced Materials，Advanced Optical Materials, Advanced Science，Small, etc. Moreover, His research work has been supported many funding, such as National Natural Science
Foundation of China, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation, etc.

Salomé Luís
(i3s, Portugal)

Salomé Luís was enrolled on the Integrated Mater of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minho in 2017, finishing in 2022 with specialization in Biomaterials.
During her master's degree, she had the opportunity of working with Professor José Carlos Cabello at Technical Proteins Nanobiotechnology, S.L., a spin-off of the University of Valladolid (Spain), to produce elastin-like recombinamers for wound healing applications. Salomé's dissertation was titled "Using elastin-like recombinamers as scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine in the context of skin regeneration" and was completed at the University of Minho's Centre of Biological Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Artur Ribeiro.
She joined the Advanced Graphene Biomaterials Group in 2023, where she integrated the GO-Graft - a synthetic vascular graft for coronary artery bypass grafting project at i3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, Porto, Portugal/ INEB - Institute of Biomedical Engineering.
GO-Graft is the first synthetic anti-adhesive small-diameter vascular graft for coronary artery bypass grafting. It is a mechanically reinforced hydrogel using graphene oxide. Salomé is in charge of R&D at GO-Graft, which involves 3D manufacturing tasks for the final prototype as well as mechanical and biological characterization.
Additionally, she has two published articles and is especially interested in developing innovative business-aware off-the-shelf solutions for medical applications.

Kibret Mequanint
(Western University, Canada)

Kibret Mequanint is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. His research interests are biomaterials, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. He has published over 130 research articles in leading journals and delivered more than 65 invited talks at major international conferences and research institutions. He embodies the growing influence of biomaterials scientists and chemical engineers in life sciences and made significant contributions in degradable biomaterials design and the applications of principles of polymeric materials and chemical engineering to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. His contributions to regenerative medicine research and education have been recognized by several national and international awards.

Kibret Mequanint
(Western University, Canada)

Kibret Mequanint is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. His research interests are biomaterials, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. He has published over 130 research articles in leading journals and delivered more than 65 invited talks at major international conferences and research institutions. He embodies the growing influence of biomaterials scientists and chemical engineers in life sciences and made significant contributions in degradable biomaterials design and the applications of principles of polymeric materials and chemical engineering to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. His contributions to regenerative medicine research and education have been recognized by several national and international awards.

Karin Wang
(Temple University, USA)

Dr. Karin Wang is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Temple University. She received her BS in Applied Math and Statistics and BE/MS Biomedical Engineering from Stony Brook University in 2010. She received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University in 2015, studying the material properties of matrix proteins in tumor stroma and was awarded NSF DGE GK-12 Teaching Fellowships. During her postdoctoral training from 2015-2018 to investigate the underlying physical drivers of collective cellular migration, she was a NIH NCI F32 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program in the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University. She was a Discussion Leader at the GRC for Signaling by Adhesion Receptors, invited speaker at the FEBS: Forces at Biological Interfaces and World Congress of Biomechanics, and has served on several NSF, NIH, and DoD panels.

Ángel Serrano-Aroca
(Biomaterials and Bioengineering Lab. Centro de Investigación Traslacional San Alberto Magno. Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir, Spain)

Serrano studied Chemical Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). In 2005, he was awarded the European Ph.D. degree after a long stay at the University of South-Paris XI with a Marie Curie Fellowship. He currently works as a Professor of Biotechnology at the Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir (UCV). Furthermore, in the teaching managing sector, he has been twice Vice Dean of Biotechnology, Head of the Applied and Technological Science Department during 5 years and Pedagogical Director in Vocational Traning. In the research area, he is currently the Principal Investigator of the Biomaterials and Bioengineering Lab (SerranoBBlab) at the Centro de Investigación Traslacional San Alberto Magno (CITSAM). He has authored 5 patents and more than 100 publications, including papers in major journals such as ACS Nano, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Bioengineering & Translational Medicine, Additive Manufacturing, Science of the Total Environment, Autoimmnunity Reviews, Stem Cells Translational Medicine, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Biomedicines, etc. He is editor of the peer-reviewed journals Polymers and International Journal of Molecular Sciences. He was predoctoral student at the National Technical University of Athens and at the Laboratoire de Physiques des Solides, CNRS, France. He was postdoctoral researcher at the King’s College London. He was Visiting Professor at NTNU Nowegian University of Science and Technology, the Universidad Tecnológica de Corregidora in México and the University of Pennsylvania in the USA. He speaks five languages (Spanish, Valencian, English, French and Italian) with certified titles (C1 English, etc). In the private sector, he has been co-founding member of the spin-off company Metis Biomaterials SL. Regarding the fight against SARS-CoV-2 in the current COVID-19 pandemic, Serrano is a member of the SACRED team (Self-Assembled COVID Research and Education Directive Consortium). Very recently, he has been enlisted in “World Ranking of Top 2% Scientists” in 2021 and 2022 database released by Stanford University, USA.

Caiyun Zheng
(School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China)

I received the PhD in biomedical engineering in July 2023, working on hemostatic biomaterials. Such as: nano/micron porous hemostatic particles, inorganic hemostatic particles (bioactive glass, mesoporous/macroporous silica), starch hemostatic particles microspheres, polymer composite gel, etc. I have experimental skills in biology, genetic engineering and biochemistry and preparation of biological materials. I have rich knowledge and skills in molecular biology experiments, synthesis and characterization of biological materials. I always want to improve my expertise in biomedical materials. In addition, I am cheerful and lively, and I like to find fun and stimulation in scientific research.

Caiyun Zheng
(Northwestern Polytechnical University, China)

I received the PhD in biomedical engineering in July 2023, working on hemostatic biomaterials. Such as: nano/micron porous hemostatic particles, inorganic hemostatic particles (bioactive glass, mesoporous/macroporous silica), starch hemostatic particles microspheres, polymer composite gel, etc. I have experimental skills in biology, genetic engineering and biochemistry and preparation of biological materials. I have rich knowledge and skills in molecular biology experiments, synthesis and characterization of biological materials. I always want to improve my expertise in biomedical materials. In addition, I am cheerful and lively, and I like to find fun and stimulation in scientific research.

Nhien Nguyen
(National Tsing Hua University, Chinese Taipei)

My name is Nguyen Hoang To Nhien, I am from Vietnam and graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the VNUHCM-University of Science HCMUS in March 2018. Eager to assure a bright future, I pursued higher study, eventually earning a master's degree in chemical engineering from National Tsing Hua University in July 2021. I am now pursuing a Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor Hsing-Wen Sung. Throughout my doctoral program, I have excelled in the field of biomedical engineering, with a specialized focus on drug delivery and tissue engineering.

Ángel Serrano-Aroca
(Biomaterials and Bioengineering Lab. Centro de Investigación Traslacional San Alberto Magno. Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir, Spain)

Serrano studied Chemical Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). In 2005, he was awarded the European Ph.D. degree after a long stay at the University of South-Paris XI with a Marie Curie Fellowship. He currently works as a Professor of Biotechnology at the Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir (UCV). Furthermore, in the teaching managing sector, he has been twice Vice Dean of Biotechnology, Head of the Applied and Technological Science Department during 5 years and Pedagogical Director in Vocational Traning. In the research area, he is currently the Principal Investigator of the Biomaterials and Bioengineering Lab (SerranoBBlab) at the Centro de Investigación Traslacional San Alberto Magno (CITSAM). He has authored 5 patents and more than 100 publications, including papers in major journals such as ACS Nano, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Bioengineering & Translational Medicine, Additive Manufacturing, Science of the Total Environment, Autoimmnunity Reviews, Stem Cells Translational Medicine, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Biomedicines, etc. He is editor of the peer-reviewed journals Polymers and International Journal of Molecular Sciences. He was predoctoral student at the National Technical University of Athens and at the Laboratoire de Physiques des Solides, CNRS, France. He was postdoctoral researcher at the King’s College London. He was Visiting Professor at NTNU Nowegian University of Science and Technology, the Universidad Tecnológica de Corregidora in México and the University of Pennsylvania in the USA. He speaks five languages (Spanish, Valencian, English, French and Italian) with certified titles (C1 English, etc). In the private sector, he has been co-founding member of the spin-off company Metis Biomaterials SL. Regarding the fight against SARS-CoV-2 in the current COVID-19 pandemic, Serrano is a member of the SACRED team (Self-Assembled COVID Research and Education Directive Consortium). Very recently, he has been enlisted in “World Ranking of Top 2% Scientists” in 2021 and 2022 database released by Stanford University, USA.

Gianluca Ciardelli
(Politecnico di Torino, Italy)

Gianluca Ciardelli graduated in Chemistry in 1994 at the University of Pisa (Italy) and obtained a PhD in Natural Sciences in 1997 at the ETH in Zurich (Switzerland). He is now Full Professor in Biomedical Engineering and coordinates the "Materials in Bionanotechnology and Biomedical Lab” group at the Dep. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of Politecnico di Torino. He has over 20-years’ experience in research in the field of Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering, Controlled Drug Delivery, Nanomedicine. In the last 10 years, according to the Scopus database, I have authored 109 documents (total documents published =236, starting in 1995) (https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=7004826651). These documents were published constantly in this period reaching the maximum number of 16 in 2020. The total h-index is 48 (44 excluding self-citations)-The total number of citations is 8630.

Rachit Agarwal
(Department of Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Science, India)

Rachit Agarwal is an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, since 2017. He did his undergraduate studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India in Biotechnology. Rachit then worked in the field of biomaterial-based drug delivery for his PhD. at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas, USA. His post-doctoral fellowship was in regenerative medicine at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA. His scientific interests are in developing biomaterial-based delivery vehicles for the treatment of inflammatory and infectious diseases. He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramanujan fellowship, Har-Gobind Khorana Young Biotechnologist award, and DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Intermediate Fellowship. He is also the early career editorial board member for the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A (JBMR-A). Two major areas of interest are in the treatment of Osteoarthritis and using inhalable biomaterials for the prevention and treatment of lung infections to translate science into technologies that can be used in the clinic. More information at https://be.iisc.ac.in/~rachit/

Gianluca Ciardelli
(Politecnico di Torino, Italy)

Gianluca Ciardelli graduated in Chemistry in 1994 at the University of Pisa (Italy) and obtained a PhD in Natural Sciences in 1997 at the ETH in Zurich (Switzerland). He is now Full Professor in Biomedical Engineering and coordinates the "Materials in Bionanotechnology and Biomedical Lab” group at the Dep. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of Politecnico di Torino. He has over 20-years’ experience in research in the field of Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering, Controlled Drug Delivery, Nanomedicine. In the last 10 years, according to the Scopus database, I have authored 109 documents (total documents published =236, starting in 1995) (https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=7004826651). These documents were published constantly in this period reaching the maximum number of 16 in 2020. The total h-index is 48 (44 excluding self-citations)-The total number of citations is 8630.

Rachit Agarwal
(Indian Institute of Science, India)

Rachit Agarwal is an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, since 2017. He did his undergraduate studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India in Biotechnology. Rachit then worked in the field of biomaterial-based drug delivery for his PhD. at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas, USA. His post-doctoral fellowship was in regenerative medicine at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA. His scientific interests are in developing biomaterial-based delivery vehicles for the treatment of inflammatory and infectious diseases. He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramanujan fellowship, Har-Gobind Khorana Young Biotechnologist award, and DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Intermediate Fellowship. He is also the early career editorial board member for the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A (JBMR-A). Two major areas of interest are in the treatment of Osteoarthritis and using inhalable biomaterials for the prevention and treatment of lung infections to translate science into technologies that can be used in the clinic. More information at https://be.iisc.ac.in/~rachit/

Kaustav Bera
(University of Colorado Boulder, USA)

Kaustav Bera is a Post-Doctoral Fellow working with Prof. Kristi Anseth in the University of Colorado Boulder. Kaustav is using photo-responsive hydrogel platforms to understand what role tissue mechanobiology plays during homeostasis and pathological conditions like cancer. Kaustav obtained his PhD from the Johns Hopkins University in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in 2022. During his graduate research in the laboratory of Prof. Konstantinos Konstantopoulos, Kaustav engineered microfluidic devices to study cell migration and investigated how physical cues from the extracellular fluid like shear stress and viscosity, affect cancer metastasis.

Christophe Helary
(Sorbonne University, France)

Christophe Hélary, PhD, got his Ph.D degree in Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials from Sorbonne University, Paris, France in 2010. In 2012, he became a research engineer at Laboratory of Condensed Matter Chemistry of Paris (LCMCP). The Christophe’s research activities in the past 10 years have been focused on the development of dense collagen hydrogels for biomedical applications (severe burns, chronic wounds, intervertebral disc degeneration and bone defects). He uses collagen in dense phase to improve stability, physical and mechanical properties of hydrogels. Since 2013, his research orientation is towards the development of composite hydrogels to improve physical and biological properties of biomaterials or to deliver biomolecules (drugs, therapeutic genes) in a sustained and controlled manner. He associates dense collagen with synthetic polymers (PLGA, PCL, PLA), natural polymers (alginate, hyaluronic acid), silica nanoparticles or hydroxyapatite. Dr Hélary has published 61 articles and is an inventor on 3 patents. He is a member of BIOMAT,the French society for biomaterials.

Yunji Lee
(Pohang university of science and technology (POSTECH), Korea, Republic of)

2015-2019: B.S., Kyungpook National University (Republic of Korea), Chemical engineering
2019-: M.S./Ph.D. integrated course, POSTECH (Republic of Korea), Materials Science and Engineering

Marta Sacchi
(French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), France)

Marta Sacchi, PhD Student.
Marta Sacchi obtained her bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering in 2018 from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. In 2021, she completed her master's degree in Bioengineering Technologies at the University of Twente, the Netherlands, where she focused on the development of an organ-on-chip model to study liver tissue fibrosis (supervision of Dr. Jeroen Rouwkema). In 2019, during her master's program, she worked as research intern at the University of Western Australia in the Stem Cell Mechanobiology Lab (directed by Dr. Yu Suk Choi), where she contributed to the development of novel stiffness gradient hydrogels to study breast cancer mechanobiology. In 2021, she began her PhD at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA-Tech Institute/Paris-Saclay University) in Grenoble, France, under the supervision of Dr. Isabelle Texier. Her current research involves the development of novel hydrogels for in vitro 3D culture of cerebral organoids and conductive materials for cell-electrode interfacing.

Shereen Azer
(The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, USA)

Dr. Azer received his Dental degree (BDS) from the Alexandria University College of Dentistry, Egypt in 1987. Following graduation, he completed a 1-year Internship Program (GPR) in 1988 and practiced general dentistry at a private office as well as at the Ministry of Health Children's Hospital in Alexandria. In 1989, he accepted a full-time teaching position as clinical instructor at the Alexandria University College of Dentistry. In 1993, he obtained Master of Science degree (MSc) in Conservative Dentistry and was appointed as assistant lecturer at the Alexandria University College of Dentistry. In 1995, he joined the Advanced Prosthodontics Residency Program at UIC, Chicago, Illinois where he completed Certificate of Advanced Prosthodontics as well as Master of Science degree (MS) in Oral Sciences. In the year 2000, he returned to Alexandria, Egypt, and accepted a full-time teaching position as tenured lecturer in the Department of Restorative Dentistry till 2003, when he was recruited to chair the Department of Fixed Prosthodontics at the College of Dentistry in Beirut, Lebanon. He assumed full educational responsibilities for professional, graduate and postgraduate students in this field for two academic years before joining OSU as full time Assistant Professor in September 2005. He is currently tenured Associate Professor and Chair of the Division of Restorative and Prosthetic Dentistry at OSU. Dr. Azer is a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics and Fellow of the American College of Prosthodontists. His research interests include dental esthetics, tooth whitening and color science, as well as dental materials, ceramics, implants, occlusion and TMD.

Shereen Azer
(The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, USA)

Dr. Azer received his Dental degree (BDS) from the Alexandria University College of Dentistry, Egypt in 1987. Following graduation, he completed a 1-year Internship Program (GPR) in 1988 and practiced general dentistry at a private office as well as at the Ministry of Health Children's Hospital in Alexandria. In 1989, he accepted a full-time teaching position as clinical instructor at the Alexandria University College of Dentistry. In 1993, he obtained Master of Science degree (MSc) in Conservative Dentistry and was appointed as assistant lecturer at the Alexandria University College of Dentistry. In 1995, he joined the Advanced Prosthodontics Residency Program at UIC, Chicago, Illinois where he completed Certificate of Advanced Prosthodontics as well as Master of Science degree (MS) in Oral Sciences. In the year 2000, he returned to Alexandria, Egypt, and accepted a full-time teaching position as tenured lecturer in the Department of Restorative Dentistry till 2003, when he was recruited to chair the Department of Fixed Prosthodontics at the College of Dentistry in Beirut, Lebanon. He assumed full educational responsibilities for professional, graduate and postgraduate students in this field for two academic years before joining OSU as full time Assistant Professor in September 2005. He is currently tenured Associate Professor and Chair of the Division of Restorative and Prosthetic Dentistry at OSU. Dr. Azer is a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics and Fellow of the American College of Prosthodontists. His research interests include dental esthetics, tooth whitening and color science, as well as dental materials, ceramics, implants, occlusion and TMD.

Amirpasha Moetazedian
(University of Hull, United Kingdom)

Amirpasha is currently a Lecturer in Medical Engineering at the University of Hull. His research sits at the interface between biology and engineering, and it is based on three pillars of Materials, Manufacturing, and Monitoring. He graduated with 1st class in BMedSc at University of Birmingham, before completing his Master of Research in developments of new orthopaedic bone cements for vertebroplasty. Amirpasha studied for a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Loughborough University from 2018-2021. His research involved development of a new fundamental understanding about mechanical performance of 3D-printed bioresorbable polymers for biomedical applications. During his PhD, he developed the first ever microscale design approach “CONVEX” for material extrusion additive manufacturing, which opens up a new size scale for design (e.g. tens of microns design resolution for a 0.4 mm nozzle) and the opportunity for a step change in novel structural geometries as well as new potential for future 3D printing slicer software.

Since joining University of Hull, he has continued to research material extrusion additive manufacturing in several areas, all enabled by the CONVEX design approach:

• Novel structural geometries and design methods
• Versatile 3D-printed microfluidic devices for regenerative medicine
• Biomedical Material Performance

Daniele Vigolo
(The University of Sydney, Australia)

Daniele Vigolo is an academic in the School of Biomedical Engineering and the co-chair of the Lab/Organ-on-chip cluster within the Sydney Nano Institute at the University of Sydney. He is working in the field of Microfluidics and Colloidal and Interface Science and their applications to biological and health related problems. His group studies bio-fluid dynamics with the aim to predict and prevent the insurgence of cardiovascular diseases, the behaviour of cells cultivated on biocompatible functionally graded soft materials, and the dynamics of phenomena developing close to flexible interfaces exploiting lab- and organ-on-chip devices to precisely control the microenvironment conditions.

Aishik Chakraborty
(The University of Western Ontario, Canada)

Dr. Aishik Chakraborty is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at The University of Western Ontario, Canada. His expertise lies in various microfabrication strategies, including 3D bioprinting. Currently, he is developing novel polymeric biomaterial-based platforms for tissue engineering and drug delivery applications. He also specializes in nanotechnology, fabricating smart stimuli-responsive nanocomposite polymeric scaffolds for on-demand drug release.

Dr. Chakraborty received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at The University of Kansas, USA. His graduate research involved evaluating the behavior of biomolecules at air/water interfaces.

Amirpasha Moetazedian
(University of Hull, United Kingdom)

Amirpasha is currently a Lecturer in Medical Engineering at the University of Hull. His research sits at the interface between biology and engineering, and it is based on three pillars of Materials, Manufacturing, and Monitoring. He graduated with 1st class in BMedSc at University of Birmingham, before completing his Master of Research in developments of new orthopaedic bone cements for vertebroplasty. Amirpasha studied for a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Loughborough University from 2018-2021. His research involved development of a new fundamental understanding about mechanical performance of 3D-printed bioresorbable polymers for biomedical applications. During his PhD, he developed the first ever microscale design approach “CONVEX” for material extrusion additive manufacturing, which opens up a new size scale for design (e.g. tens of microns design resolution for a 0.4 mm nozzle) and the opportunity for a step change in novel structural geometries as well as new potential for future 3D printing slicer software.

Since joining University of Hull, he has continued to research material extrusion additive manufacturing in several areas, all enabled by the CONVEX design approach:

• Novel structural geometries and design methods
• Versatile 3D-printed microfluidic devices for regenerative medicine
• Biomedical Material Performance

Daniele Vigolo
(The University of Sydney, Australia)

Daniele Vigolo is an academic in the School of Biomedical Engineering and the co-chair of the Lab/Organ-on-chip cluster within the Sydney Nano Institute at the University of Sydney. He is working in the field of Microfluidics and Colloidal and Interface Science and their applications to biological and health related problems. His group studies bio-fluid dynamics with the aim to predict and prevent the insurgence of cardiovascular diseases, the behaviour of cells cultivated on biocompatible functionally graded soft materials, and the dynamics of phenomena developing close to flexible interfaces exploiting lab- and organ-on-chip devices to precisely control the microenvironment conditions.

Kihak Gwon
(Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA)

Kihak Gwon received the Ph.D. degree in materials science & engineering from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Korea in 2017. He continued his postdoctoral work in electrochemistry and nitric oxide-releasing polymer scaffold at Kawngwoon University, until 2019. He is currently a Research Fellow of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. His current research interests involve functional polymer synthesis, microfluidic systems for 3D cell culture, and nitric oxide-releasing scaffolds.

Kihak Gwon
(Kyungpook National University, Korea, Republic of)

Kihak Gwon received the Ph.D. degree in materials science & engineering from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Korea in 2017. He continued his postdoctoral work in electrochemistry and nitric oxide-releasing polymer scaffold at Kawngwoon University, until 2019. He is currently a Research Fellow of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. His current research interests involve functional polymer synthesis, microfluidic systems for 3D cell culture, and nitric oxide-releasing scaffolds.

Seo Hyung Moon
(Inha University, Korea, Republic of)

[Education]
2022.03 ~ Present
Ph.D. Candidate
Inha University
Departmet of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering
Advisor: Yun Jung Yang

2020.03 ~ 2022.02
M.S.
Inha University
Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering
Thesis: Development of Silk Fibroin and Carrageenan for Temperature and Light-Induced 3D Bioink
Advisor: Yun Jung Yang

2013.03 ~ 2020.02
B.S.
Yeungnam University
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

[Publications]
1. Seo Hyung Moon, Geunho Choi, Hyung Joon Cha*, Yun Jung Yang*, "Silver Nitrate-assisted Photo-crosslinking for Enhancing the Mechanical Properties of an Alginate/Silk Fibroin-based 3D Scaffold", Biofabrication, Accepted (April. 2024), DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/ad3d8b
2. Seo Hyung Moon, Tae Yoon Park, Hyung Joon Cha, Yun Jung Yang*, " Photo-/thermo- responsive Bioink for Improved Printabiltiy in Extrusion-based Bioprinting", Materials Today Bio, 25, 100973 (2024)
3. Seo Hyung Moon, Hye Jin Hwang, Jin Haeng Jo, Yun Jung Yang*, "Polysaccharide-based Natural Polymer for an Eco-Friendly Food Packaging Material", Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, 40, 2365-2375 (2023)
4. Seo Hyung Moon, Hye Jin Hwang, Hye Ryeong Jeon, Sol Ji Park, In Sun Bae, Yun Jung Yang*, "Photocrosslinkable natural polymers in tissue engineering", Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology,11: 1127757 (2023)
5. Seo Hyung Moon, Ha Neui Choi, Yun Jung Yang*, "Natural/Synthetic Polymer Materials for Bioink Development", Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering, 27, 482–493 (2022)

Yoon Sung Nam
(KAIST, Korea, Republic of)

Yoon Sung Nam is a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Biological Sciences at KAIST. He received his Ph.D. in Biological Engineering from MIT in 2010 and worked as a George W. Beadle Argonne Named Postdoctoral Fellow at Argonne National Laboratory before he joined KAIST in 2011. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Seoul National University and a M.S. in Biological Sciences from KAIST. Professor Nam's research group focuses on nanoscale functional materials for nucleic acid biosensors, vaccine delivery, and phage therapy. He has a strong interest in identifying key factors and processes of biochemical recognition and selection of molecules/materials in biological systems, including peptide-mediated molecular recognition, ligand-cell receptor interactions, self-assembly of biomolecules, charge transfer mediators, and light harvesting processes.

Roman Chernozem
(National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Russia)

Dr. Roman Chernozem is an Associate Profeesor at the Research School of Chemistry & Applied Biomedical Sciences and a Senior Researcher at the Piezo- and Magnetoelectric Materials Center of National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University. He received a double Ph.D. degree in 2022, such as Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics (Tomsk Polytechnic University) and Ph.D. in Bioscience Engineering (Ghent University, Belgium). He is a broad-profile specialist working in the field of biomedical materials science, which is confirmed by the presence of publications in high-ranking international journals. The key work experience is related to the development and research of micro- and nanostructured multiferroics with the possibility of external stimulation (mechanical, electrical and magnetic) for a programmable biological response. Assoc. Prof. Chernozem has published over 34 papres in high-impact journals. His h-index is 19 (by Scopus) / 19 (by WoS) at the present.

Rita Sobreiro-Almeida
(University of Aveiro, Portugal)

With a background in biotechnology, my research has been centered on the development of biomaterials for regenerative purposes and in vitro models of disease. In 2021, I finished the PhD in Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells, in which was deeply focused on the development of ECM (decellularized)-based materials for renal regeneration. Throughout my scientific career, I performed three working periods abroad, the first at the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain), the second at the University of Florence (Italy), and more recently, in 2023, at the University of Maastricht (Netherlands). I have 12 first-author publications in international peer-reviewed journals and 8 oral communications/invited talks in international conferences/workshops. I currently mentor and supervise 8 students in the lab, all of them working with different 3D printing strategies. Currently, I am working on the H2020 InterLynk project, to develop new design and fabrication methodologies for bioactive scaffolds aiming at multi-tissue regeneration. I have also been granted a scientific employment stimulus contract last year (CEECIND, FCT) with the project TISSUES2GO, aiming at developing a versatile/scale-up tool for designing tissue-specific inks for 3D bioprinting technology.

Jose Carlos Rodríguez-Cabello
(University of Valladolid, Spain)

Prof. J. Carlos Rodríguez-Cabello (1963). Carlos got, first, a degree in chemistry (Biochemistry) and, later a second degree in physics (Condensed Matter), both at the University of Valladolid in Spain, where he also obtained his doctoral degree. He is full professor in the Condensed Matter Physics department of the University of Valladolid and the head of the Bioforge Lab, a research group founded in 1996 and devoted to the development of recombinamers in a pioneering effort on the use of genetic engineering and other biotechnologies for the creation of advanced materials. His interests move from studying basic knowledge on self-organization and the interplay between order and disorder in protein-like systems to applications of those materials in fields such as regenerative medicine, nanomedicine and nanotechnology. Complexity and multi(bio)functionality are the characteristics of the systems developed by his group. Carlos has published about 250 papers in indexed journals and is inventor on 15 patent applications, 5 of them transferred and under exploitation. He is also cofounder of two startups; Technical Proteins Nanobiotechnology SL., of which he is the current CEO, and CellDrive 3D S.L. (as Chief Scientific Adviser)

Jose Carlos Rodríguez-Cabello
(University of Valladolid, Spain)

Prof. J. Carlos Rodríguez-Cabello (1963). Carlos got, first, a degree in chemistry (Biochemistry) and, later a second degree in physics (Condensed Matter), both at the University of Valladolid in Spain, where he also obtained his doctoral degree. He is full professor in the Condensed Matter Physics department of the University of Valladolid and the head of the Bioforge Lab, a research group founded in 1996 and devoted to the development of recombinamers in a pioneering effort on the use of genetic engineering and other biotechnologies for the creation of advanced materials. His interests move from studying basic knowledge on self-organization and the interplay between order and disorder in protein-like systems to applications of those materials in fields such as regenerative medicine, nanomedicine and nanotechnology. Complexity and multi(bio)functionality are the characteristics of the systems developed by his group. Carlos has published about 250 papers in indexed journals and is inventor on 15 patent applications, 5 of them transferred and under exploitation. He is also cofounder of two startups; Technical Proteins Nanobiotechnology SL., of which he is the current CEO, and CellDrive 3D S.L. (as Chief Scientific Adviser)

Rita Sobreiro-Almeida
(CICECO - University of Aveiro, Portugal)

With a background in biotechnology, my research has been centered on the development of biomaterials for regenerative purposes and in vitro models of disease. In 2021, I finished the PhD in Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells, in which was deeply focused on the development of ECM (decellularized)-based materials for renal regeneration. Throughout my scientific career, I performed three working periods abroad, the first at the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain), the second at the University of Florence (Italy), and more recently, in 2023, at the University of Maastricht (Netherlands). I have 12 first-author publications in international peer-reviewed journals and 8 oral communications/invited talks in international conferences/workshops. I currently mentor and supervise 8 students in the lab, all of them working with different 3D printing strategies. Currently, I am working on the H2020 InterLynk project, to develop new design and fabrication methodologies for bioactive scaffolds aiming at multi-tissue regeneration. I have also been granted a scientific employment stimulus contract last year (CEECIND, FCT) with the project TISSUES2GO, aiming at developing a versatile/scale-up tool for designing tissue-specific inks for 3D bioprinting technology.

Sangmin Lee
(Pohang University of Science and Technology ( POSTECH), Korea, Republic of)

photocrosslinkable biomaterials synthesis and microgel platform based tissue regeneration engineering

Su-Hwan Kim
(Dong-A University, Korea, Republic of)

EDUCATION
Ph. D, School of Chemical And Biological Engineering, Interdisciplinary Program for Bioengineering, Seoul National University 09/2013 – 08/2018
Dissertation: Nature-Inspired Tissue Adhesive Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering
Advisor: Prof. Nathaniel S. Hwang

B.S, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Korea University
03/2008 – 02/2013
Advisor : Prof. Sang-Hoon Lee

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Assistant Professor, Multiscale Tissue Engineering Laboratory
Department of Chemical Engineering, Dong-A University
03/2021 – present

Postdoctoral Fellow, Disease Biophysics Group
John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University
09/2019 – 02/2021
Advisor: Prof. Kevin Kit Parker

Postdoctoral Fellow, Biomimetic Materials and Stem Cell Engineering Laboratory
09/2018 – 08/2019
School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University
Advisor: Prof. Nathaniel S. Hwang

Viviana M. Posada
(The Pennsylvania State University, USA)

Focused on biomaterials design, her research aims to improve drug delivery and tissue integration through innovative surface treatments of metals and polymers. Skilled in lab techniques like Atomic Force Microscopy, she has explored areas from tissue engineering to biodegradable metals. She holds a Ph.D. from Universidad Nacional de Colombia and has gained additional experience at institutions like the University of Illinois and Penn State, where she branched into cancer research in her postdoctoral experience.
As an educator, she teaches courses in material science and biomechanics, using active learning strategies to engage students. Her goal is to make complex subjects accessible and empower her students to succeed in their own careers.

Viviana M. Posada
(The Pennsylvania State University, USA)

Focused on biomaterials design, her research aims to improve drug delivery and tissue integration through innovative surface treatments of metals and polymers. Skilled in lab techniques like Atomic Force Microscopy, she has explored areas from tissue engineering to biodegradable metals. She holds a Ph.D. from Universidad Nacional de Colombia and has gained additional experience at institutions like the University of Illinois and Penn State, where she branched into cancer research in her postdoctoral experience.
As an educator, she teaches courses in material science and biomechanics, using active learning strategies to engage students. Her goal is to make complex subjects accessible and empower her students to succeed in their own careers.

Dongsoo Yang
(Korea University, Korea, Republic of)

Dongsoo Yang received his B.S. degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 2015. He received his Ph.D. degree from KAIST in 2020 on systems metabolic engineering for natural product biosynthesis under the guidance of Prof. Sang Yup Lee. He continued to work at KAIST as a postdoctoral fellow until 2022. Since 2022, he has been at Korea University as an Assistant Professor. He is currently interested in the development of new enzymes for the production of novel medicinal natural products, development of synthetic biology tools for biomedical applications, and engineering probiotic bacteria for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

Sujee Jeyapalina
(University of Utah, USA)

Sujee Jeyapalina is an Associate Research Professor at the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Uth and a Research Scientist at the Department of Veterans Affairs. She also holds an Adjunct Assistant Professor position in the Department of Bioengineering and Surgery. She gained a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Master of Science in Chemical Research from King’s College, University of London, and a Doctoral degree in Chemistry from the University of Leicester. After receiving post-doctoral training at the National University of Singapore and the University of Loughborough, UK, she joined the University of Utah’s osseointegration team in 2008. For the past 15 years, she has been conducting animal studies to improve the safer clinical translation of percutaneous osseointegrated prosthetics to amputees. She also has developed many in vivo and in vitro models for studying various biomaterials with an emphasis on identifying molecular pathways. She has more than 30 publications in this research area and over 15 issued or pending patents. Sujee has mentored or continues to mentor over 20 students from the Bioengineering, mechanical engineering, and Biology programs.

Dongsoo Yang
(Korea University, Korea, Republic of)

Dongsoo Yang received his B.S. degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 2015. He received his Ph.D. degree from KAIST in 2020 on systems metabolic engineering for natural product biosynthesis under the guidance of Prof. Sang Yup Lee. He continued to work at KAIST as a postdoctoral fellow until 2022. Since 2022, he has been at Korea University as an Assistant Professor. He is currently interested in the development of new enzymes for the production of novel medicinal natural products, development of synthetic biology tools for biomedical applications, and engineering probiotic bacteria for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

Sujee Jeyapalina
(University of Utah, USA)

Sujee Jeyapalina is an Associate Research Professor at the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Uth and a Research Scientist at the Department of Veterans Affairs. She also holds an Adjunct Assistant Professor position in the Department of Bioengineering and Surgery. She gained a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Master of Science in Chemical Research from King’s College, University of London, and a Doctoral degree in Chemistry from the University of Leicester. After receiving post-doctoral training at the National University of Singapore and the University of Loughborough, UK, she joined the University of Utah’s osseointegration team in 2008. For the past 15 years, she has been conducting animal studies to improve the safer clinical translation of percutaneous osseointegrated prosthetics to amputees. She also has developed many in vivo and in vitro models for studying various biomaterials with an emphasis on identifying molecular pathways. She has more than 30 publications in this research area and over 15 issued or pending patents. Sujee has mentored or continues to mentor over 20 students from the Bioengineering, mechanical engineering, and Biology programs.

Kevin McHugh
(Rice University, USA)

Dr. McHugh is an Assistant Professor and CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research in the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University whose work has been featured in journals such as Science, Science Translational Materials, Advanced Materials, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. His lab currently focuses on the development of biomaterial systems for drug delivery and tissue engineering with an emphasis on advanced fabrication techniques, such as photolithography and multi-photon 3D printing, biodegradable polymers, self-assembled peptides, and bioorthogonal click chemistry. Prior to joining Rice’s faculty, Dr. McHugh received his bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Boston University, and was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Robert Langer’s laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where his research aimed to develop vaccine-delivery systems for low-resource settings.

Kevin McHugh
(Rice University, USA)

Dr. McHugh is an Assistant Professor and CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research in the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University whose work has been featured in journals such as Science, Science Translational Materials, Advanced Materials, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. His lab currently focuses on the development of biomaterial systems for drug delivery and tissue engineering with an emphasis on advanced fabrication techniques, such as photolithography and multi-photon 3D printing, biodegradable polymers, self-assembled peptides, and bioorthogonal click chemistry. Prior to joining Rice’s faculty, Dr. McHugh received his bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Boston University, and was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Robert Langer’s laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where his research aimed to develop vaccine-delivery systems for low-resource settings.

Michael Mitchell
(University of Pennsylvania, USA)

Michael J. Mitchell is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Lipid Nanoparticle Delivery Systems Group Leader at the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation. He received a BE in Biomedical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2009, a PhD in Biomedical Engineering with Prof. Michael King from Cornell University in 2014. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Chemical Engineering with Prof. Robert Langer at MIT from 2014-2017, prior to pursuing his independent career at University of Pennsylvania in 2018. The Mitchell lab’s research broadly lies at the interface of biomaterials science, drug delivery, and cellular and molecular bioengineering to fundamentally understand and therapeutically target biological barriers. Specifically, his lab engineers new lipid and polymeric nanoparticle platforms for the delivery of different nucleic acid modalities to target cells and tissues across the body. His lab applies their research findings and the technologies developed to a range of human health applications, including the engineering of CAR T cells for cancer immunotherapy, mRNA vaccines, genome editing, cardiovascular disease, and in utero therapeutics to treat disease before birth.

Mitchell has received numerous awards as an independent investigator, including the National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award, the Rising Star Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Career Award at the Scientific Interface from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and the Research Scholar Award from the American Cancer Society. In 2022 Mitchell was named “Emerging Inventor for the Year” by Penn’s for Innovation in recognition for his lipid nanoparticle technologies and received the Young Investigator Award from the Society for Biomaterials, the T. Nagai Award from the Controlled Release Society, the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and was named a 2023 Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering. He is a co-founder of Liberate Bio, a biotechnology company focused on developing non-viral delivery technologies for genetic medicines, and serves on Scientific Advisory Board of numerous biotechnology companies.

Xiaoyang Xu
(New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA)

Dr. Xiaoyang Xu is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology. Before that, he was a joint NIH postdoctoral fellow in the laboratories of Professors Robert Langer at MIT. He completed his Ph.D. in Material Chemistry at Northwestern University under the supervision of Prof. Chad Mirkin . He received his B.E. in Chemical Engineering from East China University of Science and Technology in China. Dr. Xu’s research focus is the development of novel biomaterials and nanotechnologies for a variety of medical applications including diagnosis, bioimaging, drug delivery, and regenerative medicine. He is also interested in developing synthetic biomaterials and processing techniques to fabricate hydrogels and scaffolds for use in drug delivery and tissue engineering. Dr. Xu has over 15 years of experience in the synthesis, characterization and testing of a range of biomaterials and nanoparticles for medical applications, leading to over 60 peer-reviewed research articles and 12 issued/pending patents. His publications has been cited over 8,000 times.

Peter Wich
(University of New South Wales, School of Chemical Engineering, Australia)

Peter Wich is Senior Lecturer and Junior Professor for Bioorganic and Macromolecular Chemistry in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of New South Wales in Sydney (Australia). He is a member of the Centre for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD) and the Australian Center for Nanomedicine (ACN). Previously, Peter worked as Assistant Professor at the University of Mainz (Germany) and as Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of California Berkeley (USA).

He has been awarded more than 20 prizes and scholarships for his research, including the Innovation Prize in Medicinal/Pharmaceutical Chemistry for his work on bioinspired nanomaterials and the Galenus Technology Prize. He is a “Young Member” of the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz (Germany). In 2019 he was named Emerging Investigator of the Journal “Soft Matter”, and in 2020 he was selected as Polymer Chemistry Emerging Investigator. In 2022 he received the David Sangster Polymer Science and Technology Achievement Award from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI). In 2023, he joined RSC Applied Polymers as Associate Editor.

Peter leads the UNSW Research Lab for Functional Biopolymers. His primary research interests are in the fields of macromolecular chemistry at the interface between nanotechnology and bioorganic chemistry. His lab focuses on the chemical modification of natural biopolymers with the aim of engineering new multifunctional and biocompatible materials for applications in drug delivery, nanomedicine, bio-catalysis, and 3D bioprinting. (For more information visit: www.wichlab.com or follow him on X/Instagram @peterwich)

Peter Wich
(University of New South Wales, Australia)

Peter Wich is Senior Lecturer and Junior Professor for Bioorganic and Macromolecular Chemistry in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of New South Wales in Sydney (Australia). He is a member of the Centre for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD) and the Australian Center for Nanomedicine (ACN). Previously, Peter worked as Assistant Professor at the University of Mainz (Germany) and as Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of California Berkeley (USA).

He has been awarded more than 20 prizes and scholarships for his research, including the Innovation Prize in Medicinal/Pharmaceutical Chemistry for his work on bioinspired nanomaterials and the Galenus Technology Prize. He is a “Young Member” of the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz (Germany). In 2019 he was named Emerging Investigator of the Journal “Soft Matter”, and in 2020 he was selected as Polymer Chemistry Emerging Investigator. In 2022 he received the David Sangster Polymer Science and Technology Achievement Award from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI). In 2023, he joined RSC Applied Polymers as Associate Editor.

Peter leads the UNSW Research Lab for Functional Biopolymers. His primary research interests are in the fields of macromolecular chemistry at the interface between nanotechnology and bioorganic chemistry. His lab focuses on the chemical modification of natural biopolymers with the aim of engineering new multifunctional and biocompatible materials for applications in drug delivery, nanomedicine, bio-catalysis, and 3D bioprinting. (For more information visit: www.wichlab.com or follow him on X/Instagram @peterwich)

Clara Mattu
(Politecnico di Torino, Italy)

Dr. Clara Mattu is associate professor at Politecnico di Torino. She completed her Ph.D. in the group of Industrial Bioengineering in Politecnico di Torino in 2012.
She received multiple awards, including best presentation awards at the Italian Society for Biomaterials congress (2013), the Italian Venture Forum, (2014), and the Polymer challenge competition for business ideas (2012), the Italian Working Capital National Innovation grant in 2012 (30.000 €) to perform research on injectable hydrogels for drug delivery, the E. Zegna Scholarship in 2015 and the prestigious Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship from the European Commission in 2015.
Her research interests are highly super-disciplinary, and span from biomedical polymer synthesis and characterization to in vitoro organ models and cancer nanomedicine.

Yoosoo Yang
(Korea Institute of Science and Technology(KIST), Korea, Republic of)

Yoosoo Yang is currently serving as a Principal Research Scientist at the Medicinal Materials Research Center within the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). Additionally, she holds the position of Associate Professor in the Division for Bio-Medical Science & Technology at UST KIST School. Dr. Yang earned her Ph.D. in Biotechnology and Bioengineering from Sungkyunkwan University in 2012. Following her doctoral studies, she conducted postdoctoral research under the supervision of Professor Yeon-Kyun Shin at the Single-molecule Imaging Lab at KIST and ISU. In 2014, Dr. Yang transitioned to a faculty role at the Center for Theragnosis at KIST. Her primary research focus revolves around the design of bio-inspired materials, particularly exosomes, for the delivery of biologics. She is also actively engaged in exploring the interactions between biomaterials and immune responses.

Yunjiao Zhang
(South China University of Technology, China)

Prof. Yunjiao Zhang is a Professor in the School of Medicine at South China University of Technology and Director of the Institute of Biomedical Materials and Advanced Biotechnology. Her current research interests focused on the frontier and interdisciplinary fields of nanobiomedicine. Aiming at the major challenges in life health and disease control and prevention, Prof. Zhang Lab systematically investigates the molecular mechanism and functions of nanomaterials to regulate protein stabilization, develop novel targets, expand new functions of nanomaterials, and explore new methods for major diseases caused by protein stabilization imbalances, such as cancer, inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. She has published over 50 papers in prestigious journals including Nat Mater、Nat Nanotechnol、Nat Commun、Adv Mater, etc, which have been cited by others for 5391 times. She also has 15 authorized Chinese patents, 1 authorized US patent and host projects of Outstanding Youth Fund the National Natural Science Foundation of China. She also won the Excellent Doctoral Thesis Award and Special prize of the president of The Chinese Academy of Sciences. She is now serving as a youth editor board for the journal of Exploration.

Yunjiao Zhang
(South China University of Technology, China)

Prof. Yunjiao Zhang is a Professor in the School of Medicine at South China University of Technology and Director of the Institute of Biomedical Materials and Advanced Biotechnology. Her current research interests focused on the frontier and interdisciplinary fields of nanobiomedicine. Aiming at the major challenges in life health and disease control and prevention, Prof. Zhang Lab systematically investigates the molecular mechanism and functions of nanomaterials to regulate protein stabilization, develop novel targets, expand new functions of nanomaterials, and explore new methods for major diseases caused by protein stabilization imbalances, such as cancer, inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. She has published over 50 papers in prestigious journals including Nat Mater、Nat Nanotechnol、Nat Commun、Adv Mater, etc, which have been cited by others for 5391 times. She also has 15 authorized Chinese patents, 1 authorized US patent and host projects of Outstanding Youth Fund the National Natural Science Foundation of China. She also won the Excellent Doctoral Thesis Award and Special prize of the president of The Chinese Academy of Sciences. She is now serving as a youth editor board for the journal of Exploration.

Hongjun Li
(Zhejiang University, China)

Hongjun Li has been serving as an Assistant Professor at Zhejiang University since 2020. He earned his B.S. degree in chemistry in 2012 and completed his Ph.D. in biology in 2017 at the University of Science and Technology of China. From 2017 to 2020, Dr. Li held postdoctoral positions at the South China University of Technology and the University of California, Los Angeles. His research interests encompass biomedical engineering, drug delivery systems, and cell therapy. Dr. Li has an extensive publication record, with over 50 articles in prestigious journals such as Nature Materials, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Biomedical Engineering, and PNAS.

David J. Lundy
(Taipei Medical University, Chinese Taipei)

Dr. David J. Lundy received his BSc in Biomedical Sciences and PhD in Cell Biology from the University of Durham, UK. His Ph.D. thesis was an industrial collaborative partnership using a novel porous 3D scaffold to form an in vitro model of the skin epidermal barrier for drug testing. Following completion of his Ph.D., Dr. Lundy spent four years as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Academia Sinica, Taiwan, in Prof. Patrick CH Hsieh’s lab. During this time, he conducted research on stem cells, biomaterials and drug delivery for ischaemic diseases, with publications in journals such as Science Translational Medicine, ACS Nano, Nanoscale, Cell Reports and others.

Dr. Lundy joined Taipei Medical University as junior faculty in January 2019 and continues to research cell therapy, cell-biomaterial responses, and cell-free therapies for ischaemic diseases. His recent work has been published in journals including Journal of Controlled Release, Journal of Extracellular Biology, Biomaterials, and ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering. Dr. Lundy was honoured with the 2020-2024 Young Scholar Fellowship award from the Taiwan Ministry of Science & Technology and has presented his recent work at international conferences such as the World Biomaterials Congress (WBC) 2020, International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) 2021, Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) 2022, and others. He is a professional member of the American Heart Association (AHA), American Chemical Society (ACS) and International Society of Extracellular Vesicles.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0848-3206

David J. Lundy
(Taipei Medical University, Chinese Taipei)

Dr. David J. Lundy received his BSc in Biomedical Sciences and PhD in Cell Biology from the University of Durham, UK. His Ph.D. thesis was an industrial collaborative partnership using a novel porous 3D scaffold to form an in vitro model of the skin epidermal barrier for drug testing. Following completion of his Ph.D., Dr. Lundy spent four years as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Academia Sinica, Taiwan, in Prof. Patrick CH Hsieh’s lab. During this time, he conducted research on stem cells, biomaterials and drug delivery for ischaemic diseases, with publications in journals such as Science Translational Medicine, ACS Nano, Nanoscale, Cell Reports and others.

Dr. Lundy joined Taipei Medical University as junior faculty in January 2019 and continues to research cell therapy, cell-biomaterial responses, and cell-free therapies for ischaemic diseases. His recent work has been published in journals including Journal of Controlled Release, Journal of Extracellular Biology, Biomaterials, and ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering. Dr. Lundy was honoured with the 2020-2024 Young Scholar Fellowship award from the Taiwan Ministry of Science & Technology and has presented his recent work at international conferences such as the World Biomaterials Congress (WBC) 2020, International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) 2021, Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) 2022, and others. He is a professional member of the American Heart Association (AHA), American Chemical Society (ACS) and International Society of Extracellular Vesicles.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0848-3206

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.

Kenneth Kim
(Drexel University College of Medicine, USA)

Ken is a 3rd year Ph.D. student in the Microbiology and Immunology program at Drexel University College of Medicine. He graduated with a BS in general biology from The Pennsylvania State University. He then received the Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) post-baccalaureate research fellowship at the National Cancer Institute and graduated with MS in biomedical science concentration in immunology/virology at Hood College. He joined Dr. Christopher B. Rodell for his doctorate degree to pursue the field of immune engineering, applying biomaterials. His research interests are translational and clinical applications focusing on harnessing biomaterials, immunology, and immune engineering to develop antigen-specific immunotherapy for autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases.

SUKWON JUNG
(Pohang University of Science and Technology, Korea, Republic of)

Protein bioengineering and application in immunology