Tissue Engineering

Jan de Boer is an experienced University Professor and Chief Scientific Officer with a demonstrated history of working in academia and biotech. As a research professional he is skilled in Stem Cells, Biomaterial Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. Jan is interested in the molecular complexity of cells and how molecular circuits are involved in cell and tissue function. With a background in mouse and Drosophila genetics, he entered the field of biomedical engineering in 2002 and has since focused on understanding and implementing molecular biology in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. His research is characterized by a holistic approach to both discovery and application, aiming at combining high throughput technologies, computational modeling and experimental cell biology, to streamline the wealth of biological knowledge to real clinical applications. Clemens van Blitterswijk graduated as cell biologist from Leiden University in 1982, defending his PhD thesis in 1985 at the same university. Today his research focuses on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, forming a unique basis of multidisciplinary research between materials and life sciences. Van Blitterswijk has authored and co-authored more than 380 peer reviewed papers (H index 90, Scopus); is one of the most frequently cited Dutch scientists in TE; the applicant and co-applicant of over 100 patents; has guided 50 PhD candidates through their thesis as supervisor or co-supervisor and currently has 30 PhD candidates under his supervision. Dr. van Blitterswijk received a number of prestigious international awards including the George Winter award of the European society for Biomaterials, the Career Achievement Award of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society and is a member of the KNAW (The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences). Professor Williams has had 48 years experience in biomaterials, medical device and tissue engineering, working mostly at the University of Liverpool, UK where he was ultimately Professor of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, Director of the UK Centre for Tissue Engineering and Senior Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University. During his career he has published over 30 books and 400 papers: his latest book, Essential Biomaterials Science, was published by Cambridge University Press in June 2014. He was Editor-in-Chief of Biomaterials, the world's leading journal in this field between 2000 and 2014. He has received the major awards from the US, European and Indian societies of biomaterials including the Founders Award of the US Society for Biomaterials in 2007, and received the prestigious Acta Biomaterialia Gold Medal in 2012. In 1999 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and is a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, all in recognition of his contributions to engineering in medicine. He was global President of the Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society from 2013-2015. He was a scientific advisor to several divisions of the European Commission during the 1990s and wrote several opinions on which European actions were taken. He has, over the last 20 years, given evidence in several major product liability and patent legal cases in the USA, Europe and Australia.

Professor Williams left the University of Liverpool in 2007. While retaining the title of Emeritus Professor at Liverpool, he is currently Professor and Director of International Affairs, Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine, North Carolina, USA. In addition, he is a Visiting Professor in the Christiaan Barnard Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cape Town, South Africa, a Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia, and a Guest Professor, at Tsinghua University, Beijing, and Advisory Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. He is Visiting Chair Professor of Biomedical Materials, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan. In Cape Town, along with Professor Peter Zilla, the current Chris Barnard Professor of Surgery, he has formed a company that will produce low cost but high technology medical devices that can be used with minimally invasive procedures to treat young adults in sub-Sarah Africa, who are suffering from rheumatic heart disease but currently have no therapies available to them.