Charlottesville, Va., Oct. 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- By catalyzing progress in the field of advanced biomanufacturing, researchers can chart out a future where it is possible to regenerate limbs and grow organs that can replace injured body parts. That effort to move the field forward is unfolding right here at the University of Virginia Center for Advanced Biomanufacturing. With support from the UVA Schools of Engineering and Applied Science and Medicine, the Center will host the third annual Mid-Atlantic Biomanufacturing Symposium on November 4-5, where experts from across sectors will discuss foundational research, technology, and the commercial strategies needed to catalyze the US’ advanced biomanufacturing industry.
“We are excited to once again bring experts from across the region together to make even further progress toward the vision of a viable advanced biomanufacturing industry,” said George Christ, co-director of the Center for Advanced Biomanufacturing and professor of biomedical engineering and orthopedic surgery.
“By working together, we can make the types of advances that translate ideas into the innovations that transform healthcare.”
With the support of the United States Department of Defense-funded Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute, Embody, the Institute of Critical Technology and Applied Science at Virginia Tech, and Smithfield Bioscience, the symposium will engage a larger advanced biomanufacturing ecosystem in its third year to build critical linkages and inspire discussion that can lead to more rapid growth and progress for the field—from securing more government funding to highlighting the latest research trends in cell and tissue manufacturing.
The growing reach of the symposium has paralleled the growing promise of the field, expanding from a primarily UVA-based convening with a select group of outside experts in its first year to a vibrant collection of industry, government, and academic participants next month that are propelling this nascent field forward.
Beginning with a $3 million seed investment in 2016, the Center for Advanced Biomanufacturing has supported multidisciplinary research focused on developing innovative, regenerative materials and manufacturing. With collaboration across several disciplines within the Schools of Engineering and Medicine, ranging from orthopedics and advanced materials to chemical engineering, the Center possesses the expertise to transform the treatment of the otherwise irrecoverable muscle injuries that result from trauma or hereditary defects. Advanced biomanufacturing can have an especially significant impact on the long-term well-being of the 52,746 service members and veterans that have suffered complex head, neck and extremity trauma from explosions and gunshot wounds; survivors of significant vehicle accidents; and cancer patients.
The Center brings this multidisciplinary focus to a distinct graduate education experience, providing students with the opportunities to become the leaders of biomanufacturing through co-mentorships, team-based, multidisciplinary projects, and hands-on learning opportunities.
With the Data Science Institute’s additional expertise in computational modeling and a suite of state-of-the-art 3-D bio-printers that are primed to take on the challenges of manufacturing complex tissues and full organs, the Center’s faculty and students, along with partners across the region, are at the forefront of a transformative field.
“Advanced biomanufacturing is critical to the research, development, and commercialization of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering technologies that can change the lives of so many significantly wounded individuals in our country that have no other medical recourse,” said Shayn Peirce-Cottler, co-director of the Center and professor of biomedical engineering.
“Convenings such as the Mid-Atlantic Biomanufacturing Symposium provide our region with an opportunity to be the worldwide leaders in a field that can provide grand solutions to the greatest medical challenges.”
More information, and instructions on how to register for the Symposium, can be found here.
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About the University of Virginia Center for Advanced Biomanufacturing
The Center for Advanced Biomanufacturing consists of a collaborative team of interdisciplinary researchers, clinicians, and educators who share two overarching goals: (1) develop biomanufacturing strategies and biomaterials for the scaled-up construction of structurally and functionally complex tissue systems and organs and (2) educate & train the next generation of technical experts and creators of biomanufactured products to become leaders who drive this new industry forward.