Dr. Samuel Stupp will deliver the fifth lecture in NIDCR’s seminar series.

Dr. Samuel I. Stupp will deliver the fifth lecture in NIDCR’s seminar series on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 2 p.m. in Lipsett Amphitheater, Bldg. 10. His talk is titled “Self-Assembling Bioactive Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine.”  

Stupp is a pioneer in creating a wide range of novel biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. One of his most significant achievements is the design of a family of amphiphilic biomolecules that can self-assemble into nanofiber architectures; these nanofiber structures have the capacity to guide cell proliferation and differentiation as well as tissue healing and regeneration.

The biomolecules can be delivered clinically as simple injections of aqueous solutions. When injected, the molecules instantly form networks around cells in vivo. Stupp will explain how these molecular systems are used to regenerate axons in the central nervous system after spinal cord injury.

He will also describe molecular designs targeting bone and cartilage regeneration, angiogenesis and deposition of enamel in embryonic incisors. Stupp will additionally discuss the use of polymers and small molecules to create “niches,” or microenvironments, for stem cells in the form of macroscopic strings, sacs or membranes. These manmade “niches” mimic the in vivo stem cell microenvironment and can serve as unique models to address fundamental questions of stem cell biology.

Stupp is a board of trustees professor of materials science, chemistry and medicine as well as director of the Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine at Northwestern University. He has won numerous awards including the Department of Energy Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Materials Chemistry, a Humboldt Senior Award, the Materials Research Society’s Medal Award and the American Chemical Society Award in Polymer Chemistry. In 2005, Scientific American listed him as one of “50 Leaders Shaping the Future of Technology.”

The Sept. 9 lecture is part of the NIDCR Seminar Series “From Basic Research to Therapy—The Latest Frontier,” which focuses on research topics of broad interest to the NIH community.   

If you wish to meet with Stupp during his visit, contact Dr. Nadya Lumelsky at (301) 594-7703 or nadyal@nidcr.nih.gov.

Sign language interpretation will be provided. For more information or for reasonable accommodation, contact Mary Daum, (301) 594-7559, and/or the Federal Relay (1-800-877-8339).