Journal of Biomedical Materials Research has recently announced that “Collagen Hydrogel Scaffold Promotes Mesenchymal Stem Cell and Endothelial Cell Coculture for Bone Tissue Engineering” was one of the journal’s top 20 most downloaded recent papers. The journal examined the number of downloads within the first 12 months of online publication for papers published between July 2016 and June 2018. The article was written by TEBL members Bao-Ngoc B. Nguyen, Rebecca Moriarty, Tim Kamalitdinov, Julie M. Etheridge, and John P. Fisher and looks at the role of collagen hydrogel scaffolds and microenvironments in bone tissue engineering. This article helped advance the field of tissue engineering as well as brought visibility to both the journal and our lab. Congratulations, Bao, Becca, Tim, Julie, and John!

Sarah Van Belleghem was awarded Most Innovative Graduate Student Presentation at the Fischell Department of Bioengineering’s annual retreat, which took place on Wednesday, August 22.

Her presentation was entitled ““Development of a 3D Printing Strategy for the Reconstruction of Nipple-Areola Complexes for Breast Cancer Survivors”

Congratulations, Sarah!

Ting Guo has successfully defended her thesis entitled “Engineering Cellular Microenvironment for Cartilage Regeneration”.  Congratulations, Ting!

The Center for Engineering Complex Tissues (CECT) has officially launched its new website!

The CECT is a NIBIB/NIH Biomedical Technology Research Center (BTRC) aiming to grow the 3D printing and bioprinting community. It is a joint effort between TEBL at the University of Maryland with the Biomaterials Lab at Rice University and Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) at Wake Forest University. The Center is headed by TEBL PI Dr. John Fisher and features projects building on our previous work developing a tubular perfusion system (TPS) bioreactor that enables human mesenchymal stem cell expansion, their osteoblastic differentiation, and subsequent formation of boney tissue.

More information about the Center and its new website can be found here.

TEBL Principal Investigator and Fischell Department of Bioengineering(BIOE) Chair John Fisher was named co-Editor-in-Chief of Tissue Engineering Parts A, B, and C, effective January 1.

Tissue Engineering is the preeminent biomedical journal advancing the field with cutting-edge research and applications on all aspects of tissue growth and regeneration. The multidisciplinary journal brings together the principles of engineering and life sciences in tissue development and regenerative medicine. Tissue Engineering is divided into three parts, providing a central forum for groundbreaking scientific research and developments of clinical applications from leading experts in the field that will enable contributions to the ultimate care of patients. Fisher will serve alongside co-Editor-in-Chief Dr. Antonios Mikos of Rice University’s Department of Bioengineering.

Fisher’s work will focus most specifically on Tissue Engineering, Part A, the authoritative peer-reviewed journal centered on the convergence of the life sciences, engineering, and medicine for the generation of viable biological tissues to better fundamentally understand and treat human disease. Part A publishes 24 issues per year.

In December, Fisher was awarded the 2017 Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine – Americas (TERMIS-AM) Senior Scientist award for his contributions to the field.

In addition to his role as BIOE chair, Fisher serves as director of the newly established National Institutes of Health-funded Biomedical Technology Resource Center (BTRC) dedicated to advancing techniques to create complex tissues and parts of the body, such as for organs and bone. Funded in part by a $6.25 million NIH grant, the Center for Engineering Complex Tissues(link is external) (CECT) aims to create a broad community focusing on 3-D printing and bioprinting for regenerative medicine applications.