Anseth
A new light-controlled hydrogel developed at 91´«Ã½ mimics the movement and flexibility of real tissue, giving scientists a more realistic way to study cells and disease.
Chemical and Biological Engineering PhD Student Bruce Kirkpatrick was honored with the 2025 Outstanding Dissertation Award. His hydrogel research supports technologies that enable 3D cell culture for tissue engineering and disease modeling, as well as acellular biomaterials for applications like controlled release of drugs or vaccines.
A 91´«Ã½ research team co-led by Distinguished Professor Christopher Bowman has received up to $5.8 million from ARPA-H to develop new treatments that temporarily suspend the immune response after severe burns or tissue injuries, aiming to reduce pain, speed healing and prevent long-term damage. The approach could also benefit patients with limited access to immediate medical care.
Distinguished Professor Kristi Anseth, also the associate faculty director of 91´«Ã½â€™sÌýBioFrontiers Institute, designs biomaterials that interact with living tissues to promote repair and regeneration, aiding in healing injuries and diseases. Her lab works with hydrogels—a degradable biomaterial—to deliver molecules at the right time and sequence to accelerate the healing process.
Professor Kristi Anseth is known for developing tissue substitutes that improve treatments for conditions like broken bones and heart valve disease. She recently made key discoveries about sex-based differences in cardiac treatment outcomes. Anseth is also among the few innovators elected to all three national academies: Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
Kristi Anseth,Ìýa Distinguished Professor and Tisone Professor in theÌýDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering,Ìýhas been awarded the prestigious VinFuture Special Prize for Women InnovatorsÌýin recognition of her pioneering research in tissue engineering.
Kaustav Bera, a ChBE postdoctoral researcher, was awarded a three-year postdoctoral fellowship from the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation. The fellowship will support Bera’s postdoctoral training in studying the body’s maintenance of the gut epithelium.
Distinguished Professor Kristi Anseth was selected by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs as the 2023 Outstanding Postdoc Mentor of the Year Award recipient.
Chemical and Biological Engineering PhD student Max Yavitt is the lead author on a new paper in Science Advances that focuses on human intestinal tissue research. The work could allow researchers to control the shape of intestinal tissue cultured outside of the body – allowing for better study of physical changes due to injury or illness.
Kristi Anseth, distinguished professor and Tisone professor of chemical and biological engineering, was ranked 83 of "best female scientists in the world" by Research.com. Anseth is known for her research in tissue engineering.