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Miniaturisation for chemistry, physics, biology and bioengineering
Donald E Ingber
Donald Ingber has made major contributions to cell and tissue engineering, as well as angiogenesis, cancer, developmental biology, biocomplexity, microsystems engineering and nanobiotechnology. His research group is interested in how living cells and tissues structure themselves so as to exhibit their incredible organic properties, including their ability to change shape, move, grow, and heal, as well as how cancer results from a breakdown of normal developmental control. His team strives to identify design principles that govern the formation and control of living systems and to use this knowledge to engineer biologically inspired materials, devices and therapeutics. By combining approaches from molecular cell biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, computer science, magnetics, optics, and microfabrication, Ingber has helped to develop multiple new experimental nano- and micro-technologies, as well as engineered tissues and cancer therapeutics that have entered human clinical trials. His pioneering work demonstrating that tensegrity architecture is a fundamental principle that governs how living cells and tissues are structured at the nanometer scale has inspired a new generation of bioengineers, cancer researchers, and nanotechnologists. It also has led to insight into the molecular biophysical mechanisms by which cells within all organs sense and respond to mechanical forces. This work has led to almost 300 publications and 40 patents in areas ranging from anti-cancer therapeutics, tissue engineering, medical devices, and nanotechnology to bioinformatics software.
Ingber received his B.A., M.A., M.Phil., M.D., and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University before completing his postdoctoral training with Judah Folkman at Harvard University. He is the first incumbent of the Judah Folkman Professorship of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston, as well as a Professor of Bioengineering at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Ingber helped to found two biotechnology start-ups, and has consulted for multiple pharmaceutical, biotechnology, venture capital and private investment companies, as well as the Department of Defense, Office of National Intelligence and National Public Radio. Ingber was named one of the world's "Best and Brightest" in 2003 by Esquire magazine, and is a recipient of a Breast Cancer Innovator Award from the Department of Defense, the Rous Whipple Award of the American Association of Investigative Pathologists, and now, the Pritzker Distinguished Lecture Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society. Ingber was recently appointed as the Founding Director of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, which was launched with a $125 million dollar gift- the largest single philanthropic gift in the history of Harvard University.
