Events Calendar

BME 533 - Seminar in Biomedical Engineering

Speaker: Dr. Kyriacos "Kerry" Athanasiou, UC Davis

Talk Title: Toward Mending Cartilage: Is Osteoarthritis Indeed Incurable?

Abstract: Articular cartilage is arguably the tissue most pivotal for motion and overall function. This soft, white tissue that covers the ends of our long bones cannot heal by itself. Indeed, articular cartilage is notorious for its degenerative progression to osteoarthritis following an injury. The demanding biomechanical milieu of a joint, plus cartilage’s relative lack of cells and blood supply, renders this tissue almost unique in its inability to repair adequately. This presentation will describe our group's efforts toward helping joint cartilages, such as hyaline tissue, knee meniscus, and the TMJ disc, repair themselves via tissue engineering approaches. Central to our efforts is the understanding of biomechanical relationships at multiple dimensional levels. Also shown will be some of our latest results using various stem cell sources that indicate that cartilage regeneration is inexorably becoming a tractable problem.


Biography: Kyriacos A. Athanasiou, is a Distinguished Professor and the Chair of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California Davis. He obtained his PhD from Columbia University in 1989 and has been a faculty member at the University of Texas and Rice University, prior to joining Davis in 2009. He has published 225 peer-reviewed papers, four authored books, and 28 patents. He has also served as president of the Biomedical Engineering Society. He has received numerous honors, such as the Thomas Edison Award from ASME, the Presidential Award form BMES, the Marshall Urist Award from ORS, the Van C. Mow Medal from ASME, etc. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Annals of Biomedical Engineering. In addition to his academic interests, he has co-founded numerous bioengineering companies which have collectively brought to the market 15 FDA-approved products.


Host: Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC

Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 122

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Mischalgrace Diasanta