The Biomimetics in Bioengineering conference showcases leading approaches for the development of new materials and techniques with applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine as well as drug delivery and nanomedicine.
Dr Anna Waterhouse delivered the prestigious keynote lecture ‘Biomimicry in blood-contacting medical devices’, presenting the problem of thrombosis, fibrosis and microbe biofouling with blood-contacting medical devices, highlighting that relying on drugs to solve medical device problems results in increased risks of adverse events for patients. Dr Waterhouse presented strategies from her research career and collaborations that have focused on using biomimicry to improve medical device function and reduce medical device complications. These included new technologies such as the biospleen to treat sepsis, plasma-activated coating for stents and the slippery-surface coating to reduce thrombosis.
Led by Professor Dietmar Hutmacher (Queensland University of Technology, Australia), Professor Molly Stevens (Imperial College London, UK) and the Nature Journal Editors from Nature Materials, Nature Protocols and Nature Reviews Materials, the conference brought together world leaders in the field of biomimetic engineering and stimulated multidisciplinary discussion.
“The whole conference was fantastic! The diversity of speakers, not only in terms of gender and career stage, but also the science and engineering fields was amazing and inspirational, as was the opportunity to engage with the Nature Journal Editors,” says Dr Waterhouse.