Biomaterials Science Emerging investigator- Christopher Rodell

 

Dr. Chris Rodell is an Assistant Professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Health and Science Systems at Drexel University. He conducted his doctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania, working on the development and in vivo application of injectable supramolecular hydrogels. Following completion of his PhD, Chris was a postdoctoral scholar with the Center for Systems Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, exploring drug delivery platforms for innate immune activation and their applications toward cancer immunotherapy. To date, Chris has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, five patent applications, and numerous editorials. He is the recipient of a number of awards, including an American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship, a Materials Research Society Gold Award, the Solomon R. Pollack Award for excellence in graduate biomedical engineering (University of Pennsylvania), an Individual Biomedical Research Award (The Hartwell Foundation), and an R35 MIRA (NIGMS). His ongoing work leverages nanomaterials and injectable hydrogels as platforms for minimally-invasive therapeutic delivery. Examples include the local or systemic delivery of immunomodulatory drugs to re-orient the immune microenvironment for tissue healing and cancer treatment.

 

Read Chris’s Emerging Investigator article, ‘Sustained release of drug-loaded nanoparticles from injectable hydrogels enables long-term control of macrophage phenotype’, DOI: 10.1039/D2BM01113A 

 

Check out our interview below:

1. How do you feel about Biomaterials Science as a place to publish research on this topic?

Biomaterials Science continues to be at the top of my reading list and is an outstanding outlet for communicating work related to material structure, composition, and biological function. Moreover, the journal has welcomed new directions in immune modulation and engineering that are critical areas of research growth as biomaterials continue to evolve as platforms for the understanding and therapeutic manipulation of either individual cell types or immune cell networks. Given the journal’s standing interest in biological applications and translation towards clinical use, it was an obvious choice for publishing our current work that focuses on developing polymer-nanoparticle hydrogels for local macrophage-targeted drug delivery.

 

2. What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

The most exciting parts of this work are two-fold. First, we were interested in identifying drugs that could alter macrophage behavior – inhibiting inflammation while encouraging pro-healing behaviors. This was particularly challenging because it required the development of new drug screening methods as well as follow-up analysis in immune cells from both mice and humans to ensure drug activity was genuine. Finding a drug that meets these criteria is exciting for the immune modulation field, and we hope it will have broad applications in wound healing and regenerative medicine. The delivery of such immunosuppressive drugs, however, is often a problem clinically. This is because delivery throughout the body places patients at a greater risk of infection. The hydrogels developed overcome this by locally targeting drug delivery to specific cell types, potentially avoiding systemic immune suppression. I expect these materials to become a platform for delivering a library of suitable drugs, concentrating effects at the injection site while limiting off-target effects throughout the body that have continually derailed clinical trials.

 

3. In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

Some of the most critical and under-explored topics in immune modulation are related to how immune systems change in response to perturbations, including both injury and therapeutic delivery. Too often, cell types or single tissues are considered in isolation. In the context of macrophage-targeted therapeutics like the ones discussed here, it remains an open question as to which cells are best to manipulate. We can surely change the behavior of macrophages locally through drug delivery, but is this the most impactful approach? Considering the systems physiology, these cells generally have a short lifespan and are continually replaced by precursors from the bone marrow. Emerging evidence suggests that profound changes in these precursor cells drive long-term response to injury and link inflammatory co-morbidities (e.g., gum and heart disease, stroke and heart attack). Addressing these types of questions requires a broader systems biology thinking and is difficult to directly address experimentally. These are the types of problems we are beginning to address in my research group, which would not be possible without unique biomaterials platforms.

 

4. Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

Be happy. Just like Marie Kondo, find what sparks joy and hold onto it. It might be the location, environment, people, type of research, or any combination of these. I believe everyone is most productive in their life and work when they are happy. And frankly, you deserve it. Whether it’s a degree program or a long-term career, it’s a long-haul and you should be excited by what you do and where you are.

 

Find out more about Chris’s Tissue Instructive Materials lab on his website

Follow Chris and his research group on these social media:

Twitter: @ChrisRodell2 @DrexelBiomed  

Chris’s Facebook and Department Facebook

Department Instagram

Chris’s Linkedin and Department Linkedin

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Biomaterials Science Emerging Investigator- Brian Aguado

Dr. Brian Aguado is currently an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at UC San Diego, where his laboratory research is focused on studying sex differences in cardiovascular disease using biomaterial technologies. Dr. Aguado completed his BS degree in Biomechanical Engineering from Stanford University and his MS and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. He also obtained his certificate in Management for Scientists and Engineers from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Dr. Aguado has received numerous awards to support his research, including the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Postdoctoral Enrichment Program award, the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, the American Heart Association Career Development Award, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Science Diversity Leadership Award. Dr. Aguado currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Boards for the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A and GEN Biotechnology. Dr. Aguado is also a dedicated science communicator outside of the lab and seeks to engage historically excluded and marginalized populations in the sciences. Dr. Aguado co-founded LatinXinBME (Twitter: @LatinXinBME), a new social media initiative dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive community of Latinx biomedical engineers and scientists to support each other personally and professionally through their careers.  For his efforts, he was named one of the 100 Most Inspiring Latinx Scientists in America by Cell Press and received the Biomaterials Diversity Award for Young Investigator from the Biomaterials journal.

Find out more about Brian’s research on his webpage

Follow Brian on Twitter @BrianAguado and check out @LatinXinBME

Read Brian’s Emerging Investigator article, ‘Inflammatory serum factors from aortic valve stenosis patients modulate sex differences in valvular myofibroblast activation and osteoblast-like differentiation‘, DOI: 10.1039/D2BM00844K

 

Check out our interview below:

1. How do you feel about Biomaterials Science as a place to publish research on this topic? 

Ever since graduate school, I have always acknowledged Biomaterials Science as the preeminent journal for our field. For a couple years during my PhD, I blogged for the Royal Society of Chemistry and contributed short “pop science” articles about Hot Papers published in Biomaterials Science. Now as a PI, it feels rather special to have contributed my lab’s first research article in a journal I have respected my entire career. 

2. What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

I am proud that my lab’s research program at the intersection of sex-specific cardiovascular biology and biomaterials engineering resonates with historically marginalized students in STEM fields. I believe that through addressing health disparities (specifically sex-based disparities) in the lab, I can simultaneously attract folks from marginalized communities to the bioengineering community, all while conducting research that impacts their respective communities. 

3. In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

Our lab is interested in understanding the independent and synergistic contributions sex hormones, sex chromosomes, and inflammation in regulating sex differences in cardiovascular disease. In order to resolve sex and gender disparities, our lab believes biomaterials can be leveraged to determine sex-specific mechanisms of disease and more accurate sex-specific treatments. 

4. Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

Prioritize your trainees over your science always. Your students’ career success hinges on their personal happiness and well being. Focus your efforts on bringing your full authentic self to the work place, which will help develop strong rapport and trust with your lab members and create a more inclusive lab environment. 

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Biomaterials Science Emerging Investigator- Katelyn Swindle-Reilly

Dr. Katelyn Swindle-Reilly – Photo courtesy of College of Engineering at Ohio State

Katelyn Swindle-Reilly, PhD, received a BS in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and MS in Chemical Engineering and PhD in Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. She completed postdoctoral training in Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Saint Louis University. She then worked in industry as a Senior Scientist at Rochal Industries. She concurrently held an Adjunct appointment in BME at The University of Texas at San Antonio. She joined The Ohio State University (OSU) as Assistant Professor in BME and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) in 2016. She has a courtesy appointment in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.

Dr. Swindle-Reilly’s research focuses on the design of polymeric biomaterials for soft tissue repair and drug delivery with focused applications in ophthalmology. Since 2020, she has also been serving as Chief Technology Officer of Vitranu, Inc., a startup that licensed ocular drug delivery technologies her lab developed at OSU. Professional recognitions have included the Controlled Release Society (CRS) Ocular Delivery Focus Group (OcD) Young Investigator Award, selection as an Emerging Vision Scientist by NAEVR, OSU Early Career Innovator of the Year, OSU College of Engineering Innovators Award, and the Ohio Lions Eye Research Foundation Lois Hagelberger-Huebner Young Investigator Award. Her teaching and mentoring incorporates entrepreneurial minded learning (EML). Dr. Swindle-Reilly is interested in promoting entrepreneurialism and STEM careers, particularly to female students, and is actively involved with programming that supports these interests.

Find out more about Katelyn’s research on her webpage

Follow Katelyn on Twitter @SwindleReilly and LinkedIn

Read Katelyn’s Emerging Investigator article, ‘Sustained release of heme–albumin as a potential novel therapeutic approach for age-related macular degeneration’, DOI: 10.1039/D2BM00905F

Check out our interview with Katelyn below:

1. How do you feel about Biomaterials Science as a place to publish research on this topic?

Biomaterials Science is an excellent biomaterials journal, and was therefore a great place to publish our interdisciplinary work exploring new protein therapeutics and delivery from polydopamine nanoparticles.

2. What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

I am really excited about recent collaborations that have developed. This will enable us to explore new therapeutic approaches for treatments of several ocular diseases.

3. In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

There have been many recent significant advances and there are new and emerging treatments for vision-threatening conditions, but there is still a lot that remains unknown about the eye. For example, age-related macular degeneration appears to have many root causes, and more is being discovered by basic scientists and clinicians. In order to advance treatments for these patients, it is important to work with a diverse team that is investigating mechanisms behind a disease, clinicians treating the condition, and translational scientists/engineers.

4. Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

Believe in yourself and your abilities, know your worth, and persist through failure. It is not easy to establish your own program, and research is riddled with obstacles. I took a less traditional path to my academic career, which caused additional challenges, but ultimately my different perspective and persistence enabled my work.  

 

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Open Call for Microneedles themed collection: Meet the Guest Editors

Biomaterials Science and companion journal Journal of Materials Chemistry B are pleased to announce an open call for submissions to a cross-journal themed collection on ‘Microneedles’.

This cross-journal themed collection on ‘Microneedles’ aims to bring together recent advancements in the field of microneedles that readers will find informative and useful. The topics could include microneedle fabrication and development approaches, applications of microneedles that add a new dimension to existing core knowledge in the microneedles field, sensing applications and clinical studies that evaluate efficacy or other aspects of microneedle use in humans.

The Guest Editors for this themed collection are: Ester Caffarel-SalvadorRyan DonnellyHarvinder Gill and Hyungil Jung

 

Find out more about the Guest Editors below:

 

Dr Ester Caffarel-Salvador
Scientific Consultant, USA

‘Microneedles are no longer confined to transdermal drug delivery, they are also being used to deliver drugs to organs such as the eye and the gastrointestinal tract as well as for drug monitoring applications. I am particularly excited to see how microneedles are being employed in novel devices to help overcome the challenges of oral delivery of biologics.’

Dr. Ester Caffarel-Salvador is a multidisciplinary scientist with a background in biotechnology and biochemistry. At MIT, she developed a pill to administer insulin orally, now in clinical trials, which led the MIT Technology Review to recognize her as one of the 35 Innovators Under 35 in 2019.

After taking a mini-MBA at Harvard and working across startups, VCs, consulting, and pharmaceutical companies, Ester is now the Associate Director of Strategic Innovation for Rare Diseases at Chiesi USA. She is also a lecturer at MIT and an advisor to several startups. Ester speaks seven languages and is passionate about advocating on career development for women in science.

 

 Prof. Ryan Donnelly
Queen’s University Belfast, UK

‘Why microneedles? Microneedles are one of the fastest growing areas of innovation in drug and vaccine delivery today. They offer the possibility of needle-free delivery of currently injectable medicines that could help overcome the COVID-induced backlog in healthcare provision globally. In developing countries needle-free vaccine administration would improve access to safe and effective vaccines for millions of people.’

Professor Ryan Donnelly holds the Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology at Queen’s University Belfast and is Director of QUB’s interdisciplinary research programme Materials & Advanced Technologies for Healthcare (MATCH). His personal research is centred on design and physicochemical characterisation of advanced polymeric drug delivery systems for transdermal and intradermal drug delivery, with a strong emphasis on improving patient outcomes. He is currently developing a range of novel microneedle technologies through independent research, but also in collaboration with several major pharma partners. He has obtained substantial UK Research Council, charity and industrial funding and authored over 600 peer-reviewed publications (H-index = 73), including 6 patent applications, 6 textbooks, 23 book chapters and approximately 300 full papers. He has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international conferences. Professor Donnelly is Europe/Africa Editor of Drug Delivery & Translational Research and the Controlled Release Society’s Communications Chair. He has won the Academy of Pharmaceutical Science’s Innovative Science Award (2020), the Controlled Release Society’s Young Investigator Award (2016), BBSRC Innovator of the Year and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Pharmaceutical Research Meritorious Manuscript Award (2013 and 2022), the GSK Emerging Scientist Award (2012) and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Science Award (2011).

 

 

Prof. Harvinder Gill
Texas Tech University, USA

‘The first microneedle paper was published in 1998. I am thrilled at this opportunity to co-edit a joint themed edition for Journal of Materials Chemistry B and Biomaterials Science to showcase the achievements that have been made in the field over the past nearly 25 years. By pairing these two journals for the themed edition, we have a unique opportunity of highlighting both the materials and manufacturing aspects, and the biological applications aspects of microneedles. I look forward to reading the outstanding work in the field from colleagues around the world.’

Dr. Gill is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA. His research interests are in the fields of immunoengineering and micro-nano medicine. He has expertise in delivery systems such as microneedles, pollen grains, polymeric micro-nano particles, and gold nanoparticles. He has a history of innovativeness, and of providing fresh and unique perspectives to research and medical problems. Dr. Gill is working towards the development of a universal influenza vaccine using nanoparticle systems to enhance vaccine efficacy. He is amongst the pioneers of microneedle technology and has produced seminal work in the field. He was also the first to propose use of pollen grains as “Trojan horses” for oral vaccination and has published original and seminal papers in this field, which has attracted other researchers. He is also the pioneer of the use of microneedles for allergen immunotherapy and his lab is currently developing microneedles for the treatment of airway and peanut allergen immunotherapies. This technology is being commercialized through a startup company called Moonlight Therapeutics, which Dr. Gill has co-founded.

Dr. Gill completed his Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering with honors and a gold medal from Panjab University, India (1994). After graduation, he worked in the petroleum industry for seven years. Subsequently he obtained his doctoral degree in Bioengineering from Georgia Institute of Technology (2007). Dr. Gill received his postdoctoral training in the field of influenza vaccines at Emory University (2009). Dr. Gill has received numerous awards and honors, including the prestigious NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2 award) and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award for his pollen research, Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Research Award, Barney E. Rushing, Jr. Faculty Distinguished Research Award STEM, Ed and Linda Whitaker Faculty Fellow Award, and Whitacre Engineering Research Award. For his accomplishments and contributions to Biomedical Engineering, he was awarded the Whitacre Endowed Professorship in Science and Engineering at Texas Tech.

 

Prof. Hyungil Jung
Yonsei University, Korea

‘Microneedles are truly an exciting platform for next generation drug delivery’

Hyungil Jung is a Professor in the Department of Biotechnology at Yonsei University, where he is also the Chair of the Bio & Living Engineering Major in Global Leaders College, as well as Director of the Institute of Bio-Medical Health Care Convergence and the Department Head of Integrative Biotechnology & Translational Medicine. He is also the founder and CSO of JUVIC Inc., a company developing microneedle-based products. He received his B.S. and M.S. from Yonsei University in 1993 and 1995, and his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 2002. He worked at Caltech as a Postdoctoral scholar from 2002 through 2004 and then joined Yonsei University at 2004. His main interests lie in commercialization of microneedles and overcoming the pressing challenges in microneedle development for commercialization. During his spare time, his hobby is indulging in board games, his favorite being Baduk, a widely popular traditional board game in Korea.

 

Submissions for this themed collection are open until 1 March 2023

 

The call for papers is open for the following article types:

  • Communications
  • Full papers
  • Reviews
  • Perspectives

 

If you would like to submit to this themed collection, you can submit your article directly to the online submission platform for Journal of Materials Chemistry B or Biomaterials Science. Please mention that this submission is a contribution to the Microneedles collection in the “Themed issues” section of the submission form and add a “Note to the Editor” that this is from the Open Call. The Editorial Office reserves the right to check suitability of submissions in relation to the scope of both the journal and the collection, and inclusion of accepted articles in the final themed issue is not guaranteed.

Please note that all submissions will be subject to initial assessment by the journal editors and as such we cannot guarantee peer review or final acceptance of your manuscript. If you have any questions about the collection, email us at materialsb-rsc@rsc.org.  We look forward to receiving and featuring your submissions in this exciting collection!

 

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Biomaterials Science Emerging Investigator- Davide Brambilla

Davide Brambilla is Associate Professor of drug delivery at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Université de Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Prof. Brambilla completed his PhD in pharmaceutical technologies at the School of Pharmacy of the University of Paris-Sud (now Paris-Saclay) under the supervision of Professor Patrick Couvreur on the design of nanoparticles for drug delivery applications. In 2012, he joined the laboratory of JC Leroux at Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) where, after 3 years of post-doctoral stay, he was promoted Group Leader. In 2017, he was appointed Assistant Professor at the Université de Montréal, where he started his research laboratory focused on micro and nanotechnology-based drug delivery tools and diagnostic devices, and teaches the development of biological drugs and pharmacokinetics. In 2022 he was appointed Associate Professor. His laboratory is currently composed of 12 members and mainly focuses on the design of organic nanoparticles for the delivery of genetic materials for gene therapy applications, and the design of polymeric microneedles for diagnostic applications. He pioneered the concept of fluorescent medical micro-tattoos for the non-invasive and wearable monitoring of physiological and pathological parameters.

He is a Junior Research Fellow of Québec Research Fund, the biotherapy Research Chair from the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association and Biosimilars Canada, the current President of the Canadian chapter of the Controlled Release Society, and acts as Assistant Editor of the Journal of Controlled Release.‎ He co-authored over 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals and filed 3 patents.

Find out more about Davide’s research on his webpage

Follow Davide on Twitter @DBrambilla_Lab

Read Davide’s Emerging Investigator article, ‘Current knowledge on the tissue distribution of mRNA nanocarriers for therapeutic protein expression‘, DOI: 10.1039/D2BM00859A

Check out our interview with Davide below:

1. How do you feel about Biomaterials Science as a place to publish research on this topic?

Recent pandemics, and approval of mRNA-nanoparticles vaccines, demonstrated the importance of biomaterials in medicine and the society. This is just the beginning of a revolution driven by new materials toward a precision and personalized medicine. I feel that Biomaterials Science represents the ideal journal for sharing research at the interface of material sciences and medicine.

2. What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

Nanomedicine and drug delivery have entered in a very exciting phase, where decades of intense research are providing important results. The next decade we will witness impact of this silent revolution in medicine. The biggest challenges will be the translation of the successes of nucleic acid-nanomedicine from the vaccination to the treatment of severe diseases.

3. In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

Costs, efficacy, safety of the new generation treatments.

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Biomaterials Science Emerging Investigator- Katharina Maisel

Dr. Katharina Maisel – Bioengineering Department, University of Maryland
Alan P. Santos photography

Dr. Katharina Maisel obtained her BSE in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. She completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago in lymphatic and respiratory immunobiology prior to joining the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the University of Maryland as faculty in 2019. The Mucosal Associated Immune System Engineering and Lymphatics (MAISEL) Lab’s research integrates materials science, immunology, mucosal barrier physiology, and drug delivery to design nanoparticles to take advantage of and study the interface between biological barriers, particularly the lymphatics, interstitial tissue, and mucosal surfaces, and nanoparticles.

Dr. Katharina Maisel has won a number of awards, including NSF GRFP and NIH F32 fellowships as a trainee, the American Lung Association Dalsemer Award, LAM Foundation Career Development Award, NSF CAREER Award, and NIH NIGMS Maximizing Investigator Research Award. Her work has led to numerous high-impact publications, particularly in the field of drug delivery and mucosal and lymphatic immunoengineering, and several patents.

Find out more about Katharina’s research on her webpage

Follow Katharina on Twitter @MaiselLab

Read Katharina’s Emerging Investigator article, ‘Multiple particle tracking (MPT) using PEGylated nanoparticles reveals heterogeneity within murine lymph nodes and between lymph nodes at different locations’ DOI: 10.1039/D2BM00816E

Check out our interview with Katharina below:

1. How do you feel about Biomaterials Science as a place to publish research on this topic?.

I believe that Biomaterials Science is a great place to publish work that lies at the interface of biology and materials science, such as our work on designing nanoparticles that effectively cross lymph node interstitial tissue for studying interstitial tissue spaces and microrheology of immune organs.

2. What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

We have had some interesting findings on how material properties like surface chemistry affect nanoparticle transport through biological barriers and suspect that some of this may be related to the protein corona that forms on any nanoparticle that is submerged into a solution containing proteins. It’s amazing how little we still know about how material properties affect the protein corona and how that in turn affects nanoparticle functions. We’re really excited to make some headway in this area and contribute to the growing body of work on protein corona and nanoparticle-biological material interactions particularly in the context of immunity.

3. In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

There are a lot of important questions out there and I like to focus on ones that have not been asked (or not asked enough). We have made so many different materials already but don’t always fully understand how they interact with biological systems. The best example is the use of poylethylene glycol as a ‘stealth’ agent for many years, until more recent discoveries showed that your body can actually develop anti-PEG antibodies. Honing in on how different materials interact with the biological environment and in particular the immune system is a key area of focus in my research group.

4. Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

Do what you love and try to find the right environment for you. Every job has its ups and downs so having a support network and environment that will bring out your best, provide the strength you need at times, and do the work you enjoy most can make all the difference in being both successful and actually enjoying life while you’re growing in your career.

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Biomaterials Science 10th Anniversary

Join us in celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Biomaterials Science

 

This year we are proud to celebrate 10 years of Biomaterials Science. Our pilot issue was published in October 2012, and since then we have continued to publish a variety of impactful content from our diverse biomaterials-based community.

 

We are delighted to announce a number of initiatives to celebrate the journal’s 10th anniversary. These include a themed collection featuring work from some top researchers in biomaterials; post-publication collections highlighting the top papers from around the world; and a reviewer spotlight recognising some of our outstanding reviewers. You can find out more about our activities below.

The first Biomaterials Science journal cover from October 2012

About the Journal

Biomaterials Science is an international high impact journal exploring the science of biomaterials and their translation towards clinical use. Its scope encompasses new concepts in biomaterials design, studies into the interaction of biomaterials with the body, and the use of materials to answer fundamental biological questions. Since it was first launched in 2012, Biomaterials Science has published over 3000 articles and reviews from research groups in more than 70 countries.

It is the official journal of the European Society for Biomaterials and we publish annual collections highlighting the best work presented at the annual ESB conference.

In line with the Royal Society of Chemistry’s values of inclusion and diversity, Biomaterials Science welcomes work from all areas of biomaterials. High quality is the key determining factor for publishing in Biomaterials Science and we look forward to your continued contributions to the journal.

 

10th anniversary activities

Biomaterials Science 10th anniversary collection

To introduce the 10th anniversary collection, current Biomaterials Science Editor-in-Chief Jianjun Cheng and Executive Editor Maria Southall have written an Editorial reflecting on the past 10 years of the journal. They look to the future and highlight various journal initiatives which aim to reinforce the journal’s reputation as an inclusive home for high-quality and impactful research on biomaterials.

Check out the collection featuring high quality research and review articles from some of the top authors in biomaterials. This collection is ongoing and articles will continue to be added as they are published, so do keep checking the collection. We hope you enjoy reading the exciting work featured in the collection for FREE until 31 December 2022.

 

Post-publication web collections

We have published web collections from four of our key regions featuring some of the most cited, most downloaded and most shared articles published in Biomaterials Science during the first 10 years of the journal.

Check out the collections for FREE until 31 December 2022.

‘Top papers from Europe’

‘Top papers from North America’

Top papers from Asia-Pacific’

‘Top papers from China’

Congratulations to all featured authors!

 

Reviewer spotlight

We are delighted to recognise our outstanding reviewers each year. These reviewers have been previously selected by the Editorial team and the Editorial Board for their support and significant contributions to the journal.

For our 10th anniversary, we have featured some of our most loyal outstanding reviewers who have supported Biomaterials Science in the past few years.

Check out our reviewer spotlight blogs page to find out more about these Biomaterials Science reviewers and read their interviews highlighting advice for authors and reviewers and their thoughts about reviewing for the journal.

 

Ongoing Biomaterials Science activities

Themed collections

We are delighted to feature your high-impact and relevant work in our themed collections and have published various themed collections on a variety of biomaterials-based topics over the years. Thank you to all of our authors that have featured in the collections; we have enjoyed publishing and promoting your work!

This recent themed collection on CRISPR biomaterials is FREE to read until 31 December 2022. This collection is ongoing so keep an eye out for the exciting work being added.

Open calls

Why not submit your work to one of our ongoing themed collections?

We are pleased to announce an open call to submit your work to a themed collection on ‘Microneedles’ joint with our companion journal, Journal of Materials Chemistry B. Guest Edited by Ester Caffarel-Salvador (Scientific Consultant, USA), Ryan Donnelly (Queen’s University Belfast, UK), Harvinder Gill (Texas Tech University, USA) and Hyungil Jung (Yonsei University, Korea), this themed collection aims to bring together recent advancements in the field of microneedles, from materials design to application and all that is in between.

Submissions open until 1 March 2023

More information can be found on this blog post

 

Upcoming themed collections

We are pleased to announce these upcoming themed collections in Biomaterials Science:

  • Injectable hydrogels with Journal of Materials Chemistry B
  • 3D Bioprinting

 

More updates to come soon!

 

Supporting early-career researchers

Biomaterials Science Lectureship

Since 2014, Biomaterials Science has honoured an early-stage career scientist who has made a significant contribution to the biomaterials field with the annual Lectureship award. So far, we have nine Biomaterials Science Lectureship winners with the most recent winner being Yizhou Dong from Ohio State University in the USA.

Read the Lectureship winners collection featuring work from our previous Lectureship winners in Biomaterials Science

Nominations for the 2023 Biomaterials Science Lectureship are now open and the deadline to nominate is 31 December 2022. More information can be found in this blog post

 

 

Emerging Investigators Series

Our ongoing Emerging Investigators series showcases the very best work from biomaterials scientists in the early stages of their independent careers in recognition of their potential to influence future directions in the field.

Check out our Emerging Investigators blog page to find out more about some of our featured Emerging Investigators to date.

Read the articles featured in the Biomaterials Science Emerging Investigators collection so far for FREE until 31 December 2022.

 

We would like to thank all of our authors, reviewers, and readers for your incredible support since we launched and we look forward to seeing what developments the next decade will bring!

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Biomaterials Science Emerging Investigator- Vincent Venditto

Dr. Vincent J. Venditto received training in organic synthesis and vaccine development. He obtained a BS in chemistry from Gettysburg College and then worked for two years at the NCI, NIH as a cancer research trainee before attending graduate school. He obtained a PhD in chemistry from Texas A&M University and worked on vaccine development as an NIH postdoctoral fellow at University of California, San Francisco.

Students and fellows in his lab come from diverse backgrounds with interests in chemistry, biology, drug delivery and experimental therapeutics, but a common goal of exploring novel methods to modulate the immune system. Students and fellows in his lab are encouraged to utilize their skills to advance projects while learning new skills to better appreciate the various aspects of designing novel immunotherapies.

You can find out more about Vincent and his research on his webpage

Follow Vincent on Twitter @vjvenditto

Read Vincent’s Emerging Investigator article, ‘In vivo assessment of triazine lipid nanoparticles as transfection agents for plasmid DNA’, DOI: 10.1039/D2BM01289H

Check out our interview with Vincent below:

1. How do you feel about Biomaterials Science as a place to publish research on this topic?

Biomaterials science is a great journal to publish novel lipids for gene delivery. The interdisciplinary nature of our work is highlighted by the broad readership of Biomaterials Science.

2. What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

The lipids presented in the manuscript demonstrate in vitro and in vivo transfection efficiency, and importantly demonstrates a platform for continued iterative development of novel lipids for improved nucleic acid delivery.

3. In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

How do we improve upon the success achieved with the COVID-19 vaccines?

4. Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

Do what excites you.

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Biomaterials Science 10th Anniversary Reviewer Spotlight- Honggang Cui

Biomaterials Science is delighted to recognise our outstanding reviewers for their support and significant contributions to the journal. As part of the 10th Anniversary celebrations, we are highlighting some of our most loyal reviewers in a ‘Reviewer Spotlight’ series. We are grateful to all our reviewers and appreciate the dedication and support they give to the journal.

Honggang Cui is a Biomaterials Science reviewer and has received an outstanding reviewer award for his contributions to the journal in 2020. Find out more about Honggang below and read his interview with advice for reviewers for the journal.

 

Honggang Cui is an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at The John Hopkins University with a joint appointment in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.  Dr. Cui works on the development of supramolecular biomaterials and drug-based assemblies, with the goal of improving the current treatment and prevention of some important human diseases.

 

1. What do you like most about being a reviewer for Biomaterials Science?

The opportunity to learn something exciting and new. I also enjoy having the opportunity to help the authors improve the quality of their manuscript.

 

2. What would you recommend to new reviewers to ensure their report is helpful?

A manuscript cannot solve all the problems in the field. So long as a manuscript can teach us something new and important, it is a good manuscript worthy of sharing with the community. Questions raised should be centered on the key points that the authors tried to convey in their manuscript. Even if you recommend rejection, please explain your rationale and provide constructive suggestions as to how the manuscript can be further improved.

 

You can find out more about Honggang and his research on his webpage

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Biomaterials Science 10th Anniversary Reviewer Spotlight- Yongzhuo Huang

Biomaterials Science is delighted to recognise our outstanding reviewers for their support and significant contributions to the journal. As part of the 10th Anniversary celebrations, we are highlighting some of our most loyal reviewers in a ‘Reviewer Spotlight’ series. We are grateful to all our reviewers and appreciate the dedication and support they give to the journal.

Yongzhuo Huang is a Biomaterials Science reviewer and has received an outstanding reviewer award for his contributions to the journal in 2019. Find out more about Yongzhuo below and read his interview about his experiences of being a reviewer.

 

Yongzhuo Huang is currently a Professor of Pharmaceutics at the Shanghai Institute for Materia Medica at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He received his Ph.D. from Zhejiang University and then conducted postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. He focuses on application of drug delivery technology to explore the new therapeutic mechanisms and strategies in cancer and inflammation diseases. He is interested in targeted drug delivery, transdermal delivery, and protein delivery.

He has published over 150 articles, and supervised/co-supervised 50 graduates, 20 PhD students, and 8 postdoctoral researchers.

He is an editor of International Journal of Pharmaceutics, and serves in the advisory or editorial boards of Nano Letters, Journal Controlled Release, Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, Cancer Biology & Medicine and Medicine in Drug Discovery. He has also served as a Guest Editor for various theme issues, including the issue of “Biomimetic Therapeutics” in Biomaterials Science (2019). He is an active reviewer for over 120 scientific journals.

 

1. What encouraged you to become a reviewer for Biomaterials Science?

Biomaterials Science is a well-respected journal covering multidisciplinary areas. I like to keep myself posted on the up-to-date cutting-edge research to be published in the journal. Moreover, I have authored a number of articles in BM, and thanks to the excellent reviewers, their valuable comments did help me a lot improve the quality of the articles. As a way to give back, I am more than happy to serve as a reviewer for BM. 

 

2. What would you recommend to new reviewers to ensure their report is helpful?

When I review a manuscript, I often ask myself what I will do if I am going to conduct a similar study. I will compare the plan conceived in my mind with the work in the manuscript and try to find out the pros and cons. Originality and solidness is two essential criteria to evaluate a manuscript. If a reviewer can provide a detailed analysis of originality of the work and solidness of the experiments will be helpful for the authors to improve their work and for the editors to make a decision. Please treat a manuscript in a way what you want yours to be treated.

 

3. Has being a reviewer affected how you approach the preparation of your recent manuscripts?

Yes. I do learn a lot from being a reviewer. When a manuscript leaves me a deep impression, I would try to find out which elements stick in my mind. From a critical reading of a manuscript, I can appreciate the well-organized structure, clear presentation, and the way to prepare the beautiful schemes and figures. Such experience will affect my manuscript-writing, in various aspects.

 

You can find out more about Yongzhuo and his research on his webpage.

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