Intermountain Biological Engineering Conference

Photografted Zwitterionic Hydrogels for Reduced Fibrotic Response to Cochlear Implant Materials

Bio:

Allan Guymon received BS degrees in both Chemistry and Applied Mathematics at Weber State University in 1993.  He then earned both a Masters in 1995 and a PhD in 1997 in Chemical Engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder under the supervision of Christopher Bowman.  After graduation, he joined the faculty in the Polymer Science Department at the University of Southern Mississippi.  In 2002, he joined the Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Department at the University of Iowa and was named the Sharon K. Tinker Professor in 2013.  He served as the chair of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at Iowa from 2012 unitl 2022 and currently serves as the co-director of the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, and is also the director of the Industry University Cooperative Research Center on Photopolymerization.    He has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and given over 200 presentations at conferences, universities, and corporations throughout the world. He has received several awards including the 2002 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).  His research focuses on using photopolymerization to form nano- and microstructured materials for coatings, 3D printing, and biomaterial implants while utilizing reaction engineering to engineer specific properties into these photocurable thin films.

Harnessing the In Vitro “Cell-free” Power of Synthetic Biology: Engineering Magistral Biotherapeutics, Optimized Biocatalysts, and At-home Biosensors

Bio:

Dr. Brad Bundy is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at Brigham Young University. His research lab is focused on cell-free synthetic biology with four specific goals:

1. Engineering Next-Generation Biotheraputics through location-optimized PEGylation.
2. Enabling Personalized Cancer Treatment with low-cost, at-home biosensors.
3. Developing On-Demand Production of Biologics with lyophilized cell-free protein systems.
4. Building Better Biocatalysts through orientation-controlled covalent immobilization.

Professor Bundy is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, DARPA Young Faculty Award, BYU Young Scholar Award, Karl G. Maeser Excellence in Teaching Award, and the BYU Chemical Engineering Research Professorship. He hopes the technology developed from his lab will one day help improve cancer survival rates and help enable access to life-saving medicines in middle- and low-income countries

"Wait - but I thought that stem cells were FDA-approved therapeutic products, aren't they?"

Bio:

David W. Grainger is a University Distinguished Professor and Department Chair of Biomedical Engineering, and Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Utah, USA.  Grainger’s research focuses on improving drug delivery methods, cell therapy, implanted medical device and clinical diagnostics performance, and nanomaterials toxicity.  Grainger has published >235 research papers and 32 book chapters on biomaterials innovation in medicine and biotechnology, and novel surface and diagnostics chemistry (h-index 68, >17,500 citations).  His research awards include the 2020 International Award from the European Society for Biomaterials, a 2016 Fulbright Scholar Award (New Zealand), the 2013 Excellence in Surface Science Award (Surfaces in Biomaterials Foundation), the 2007 Clemson Award for Basic Research (Society for Biomaterials), and the 2005 American Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturer’s Association’s award for “Excellence in Pharmaceutics”. Grainger also has received several prominent university teaching and mentoring recognitions as well as the 2019 Daniels Fund Award for Education in Research Ethics.  He has served as Chair of several prominent USA research review panels and just completed his term on the National Institutes of Health NIBIB Council.  He serves on the editorial boards for 6 major journals, past handling editor for the journal, Biomaterials, for over two decades, and a special topics editor for Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews.  He has co-organized 33 international symposia.  Grainger has provided nearly 410 invited lectures and outreach workshops globally.  He consults widely for the biomedical device and pharmaceutical industry and has been a principal in 6 biotech start-ups, with successful commercialization efforts and marketed FDA-approved medtech products.  Grainger continues to emphasize translational approaches to clinical biomaterials, and validation of clinical effectiveness in implants and drug delivery systems for value-based medicine.  He provides leadership in official Scientific Advisory Board roles on several international medical technology research consortia and global research foundations.