103rd听Distinguished Research Lecture 2011
Professor Kristi Anseth of the Colorado Initiative in Molecular & Biotechnology (CIMB) and the College of Engineering presented the 103rd Distinguished Research Lecture on August 24, 2011.听.
Kristi Anseth's reaches out to high school students -听With Anseth鈥檚 integral support, a partnership between CU Science Discovery and the Boulder Valley School District鈥檚 Science Research Seminar recruited around 50 high school students to tour the Anseth Research Group Lab and attend the Distinguished Research Lecture on Aug. 24. Read more
About Professor Anseth
Dr. Anseth, distinguished professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, presented 鈥淭he Body Shop,鈥� a lecture on her work in engineering tissues to improve medical treatments across a wide spectrum, from helping broken bones heal faster to replacing diseased heart valves. A听听can be viewed online of the event.
The lecture was understandable and enjoyable to the general public including middle and high school students who are particularly interested in science. As Professor Thomas R. Cech has said, 鈥淜risti always gives clear, compelling, and captivating lectures, and she is highly skilled at tailoring her talk to the level of the audience.鈥�
The Distinguished Research Lectureship is the highest honor the faculty of CU-Boulder bestow upon a fellow faculty member. Not only is Dr. Anseth one of, if not the, youngest recipient of the award, but she is also an alum of CU-Boulder, receiving her PhD in Chemical Engineering in 1994. Anseth's research group has published over 190 publications in peer-reviewed journals and presented over 170 invited lectures in the fields of biomaterials and tissue engineering. Dr. Anseth has received numerous national awards for her research activities, and was the first engineer to be named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. She received the Alan T. Waterman Award, the highest award of the National Science Foundation for demonstrated exceptional individual achievement in scientific or engineering research. Most recently, she was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine.
Dr. Anseth also is a dedicated teacher, who has received four university awards related to her teaching, as well as the American Society for Engineering Education鈥檚 Curtis W. McGraw Award. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. She serves on the editorial boards or as associate editor of听叠颈辞尘补肠谤辞尘辞濒别肠耻濒别蝉,听Journal of Biomedical Materials Research 鈥� Part A, Acta Biomaterialia, and听Biotechnology & Bioengineering.
Biomedical research such as Dr. Anseth conducts is already saving lives and improving human health. As Professor David A. Tirrell from the California Institute of Technology said, 鈥淚 believe that it is fair to say that there is no one else working in polymeric biomaterials who is addressing such a broad range of issues so effectively.鈥�
Dr. Kristi Anseth supervises PhD student听the recent winner of the 2011 DSM Polymer Technology Award.
For more information on biotechnology and engineering at CU-Boulder:
Visit the听.听Explore one of the most innovative learning environments in the world. Investigate our "living laboratory" and our many interactive exhibits and kinetic sculpture. Free and open to the public, Monday-Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.
Visit the听.听Exhibits in the lobby include a laser communications satellite and a turbojet engine. Free and open to the public, Monday-Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.
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Kristi Anseth talking to lecture guests
Kristi Anseth working in the lab
Kristi Anseth working with graduate students
Powerful new tools create these miniature 鈥渨ells鈥� (red) in which small clusters of specific cell types (green) can be grown, e.g., insulin-producing pancreatic cells or various types of stem cells, for potential medical treatments.
Living cells rely on external molecular signals to grow appropriately in three dimensions. In this photo, the external signals (adhesion peptides, labeled green) help bone marrow-derived stem cells (labeled red) grow in a biologically accurate way within two small channels.
Stem cells derived from bone marrow have potential to become many different types of 鈥渕ature鈥� cells. In this example, these stem cells (green) are being grown in an artificial environment that pushes them toward becoming cartilage-producing cells, which could have many applications in treating cartilage-related diseases and even the effects of natural aging.
Heart valves rely on the health of a particular cell type known as 鈥渧alvular interstitial cells鈥� to maintain their proper function. Here these unique cells (red with blue nuclei) are shown growing on an artificial scaffold, offering the possibility of a better alternative to mechanical or transplant-derived valve replacement.
Dr. Anseth's work in tissue engineering is bridging the "gap between the pure chemical approach to polymers and the biology of applying cells with these materials" (Professor Leslie A. Leinwand, University of Colorado Boulder).
Biomedical research such as Dr. Anseth conducts is already saving lives and improving human health.