03/15/2022
By Susan D'Amore
Friday, April 15, 2022
Reception: 3:30 to 4 p.m.
Lecture: 4 to 5 p.m.
Location: -Alumni Hall, 84 University Avenue, Lowell
Title: The Future of Silk-Based Biomaterials
Abstract: Silk as a protein-based biomaterial has expanded in fundamental and translational impact over the past decade. From a historical base as textiles and medical sutures, there are now dozens of silk-based enterprises pursuing everything from vaccine delivery and medical devices to food preservation. Opportunities in further translational impact by exploiting the novel features of this protein, and scaling production for further commercialization are required to continue to build silk into a longstanding technological platform to meet growing needs in a sustainable future. To address these points, a few recent advances in silk-related technologies will be discussed, with a focus on the broader impact in medicine and sustainability.
Biosketch: David Kaplan is the Stern Family Endowed Professor of Engineering at Tufts University, a Distinguished University Professor, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He also holds faculty appointments in the departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chemistry, Biology and in the School of Medicine. His research focus is on biopolymer engineering, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and cellular agriculture. He has published over 1,000 peer reviewed papers, is editor-in-chief of ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering and he serves on many editorial boards and programs for journals and universities. He has received awards for his research and teaching and is an elected Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering and the National Academy of Engineering.
For more information on the Sukant Tripathy Endowed Lecture on April 15, please email Susan_Damore@uml.edu