To expand on the promise of regenerative engineering for revolutionary applications in health care, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is launching The Regenerative Engineering Society (The RE Society).
The RE Society has, as its mission, promoting and advancing this new, trans-disciplinary field; informing the public of its benefits; and realizing those benefits through biomedical applications. Regenerative engineering is defined as the convergence of advanced materials science, stem cell science, physics, developmental biology, and clinical translation for complex tissue regeneration.
The Society’s first public event will be the “Rock Stars of Regenerative Engineering” conference, slated for December 10 and 11 at the Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering, in Irvine, California. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the conference is being hosted by the National Academy of Engineering.
In announcing the new society, Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., the RE Society’s Founder, said that the Society will provide a hub for scientists, engineers, clinicians, and “community scientists,” interested in this new field. “Conferences, workshops and other activities will raise understanding of regenerative engineering’s powerful possibilities in science and medicine,” he said, emphasizing that the Society’s home with the AIChE will nurture the on-going excellence of RE Society members and drive engineering and scientific progress.
Laurencin is a University Professor at the University of Connecticut, director of the Institute for Regenerative Engineering and director of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences. The Van Dusen Endowed Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Laurencin is also a tenured professor in the School of Engineering. He has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering. He recently received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement, in ceremonies at the White House. Laurencin is also the editor of the journal, Regenerative Engineering and Translational Medicine.
June Wispelwey, AIChE’s executive director, explained the strong connection between RE and AIChE. “Chemical engineers, in particular, play a crucial role in regenerative engineering, finding and using key components of the body to heal and regenerate,” she said.
Wispelwey added that the most recent and significant advances in regenerative engineering depend on the concept of convergence — the transdisciplinary use of disparate technologies to answer key questions in biology, medicine and engineering.
About AIChE: AIChE is a professional society of more than 53,000 chemical engineers in 110 countries. Its members work in corporations, universities and government using their knowledge of chemical processes to develop safe and useful products for the benefit of society. Through its varied programs, AIChE continues to be a focal point for information exchange on the frontier of chemical engineering research in such areas as nanotechnology, sustainability, hydrogen fuels, biological and environmental engineering, and chemical plant safety and security. More information about AIChE is available at www.aiche.org.