Oren Levy

From contact lenses to dental fillings to sutures, bioengineering materials are everywhere. The discovery and improvement of biomaterials have the potential to offer major advances in the treatment of patients. Following an engaging history of the field of bioengineering, Jeff Karp, PhD, introduced speakers who are advancing approaches with industry to usher in new therapies for patients. Natalie Artzi, PhD, presented her work on developing disease-responsive and disease-selective biomaterials that can be delivered locally to treat cancer. Aaron Goldman, PhD, spoke about computational approaches that can improve treatment regimens for breast cancer, and Oren Levy, PhD, discussed designing therapeutic stem cell “ninjas” that can zoom in on the right place at the right time to treat diseases like multiple sclerosis and prostate cancer. Health and science reporter Megan Scudellari later led a lively discussion about how bioengineering is perceived as a hot topic in the media and one that captures the public’s imagination.