RSC Centenary Prize Lecture presented by Prof Mark Grinstaff from Boston University

RSC Centenary Prize Lecture presented by Prof Mark Grinstaff from Boston University

We are pleased to share that Professor Mark Grinstaff from Boston University will deliver the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Centenary Prize Lecture at Kavli Oxford on Friday, May 3rd, 2024.

Date: Friday 3/May/2024

Time: 13:30 -14:30

Location: Kavli Institute, Seminar Room 2, DCHB 20-138

Professor Mark Grinstaff's talk is entitled “Clinically Informed Natural and Synthetic Polymers: From Modified Self-amplifying RNA for Ultra-low Dose Vaccines to Polymeric Hydrogels for Wound Management”

His abstract and biography are below.

Abstract

As an academic chemist and engineer working in interdisciplinary research, I ask questions all the time – from the most basic (how do we design small molecules to enable the synthesis of advanced polymeric materials?) to the most translational (how do we take a laboratory discovery to the clinic?). Through this process, I challenge myself as well as my students and fellows to determine and elucidate the underlying chemistry and engineering principles. Ideation is key in the laboratory and originates from within the group as well as discussions with leading clinicians. In this lecture, I will share our stories and successes (and failures if asked) in translating ideas from the laboratory to the preclinical and clinic setting. Research areas include the synthesis of unique dendrimers and dendritic-based hydrogels as adhesives for wound management, novel sulfated poly-amido-saccharides as anticoagulants, drug loaded polyglycerol carbonates buttresses for prevention of lung cancer recurrence, large molecular weight polyanions as cartilage lubricants for osteoarthritis treatment, relaxinloaded microparticles for the treatment of frozen shoulder, or modified saRNA as a new potent ultralow dose vaccine. For two of these projects, I will highlight the design requirements, the synthetic routes and characterization data, and the performance outcomes in in vitro and in vivo experiments.  

Biography

Mark W. Grinstaff is the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor, and a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering,and Medicine at Boston University. He is also the Director of BU’s Nanotechnology Innovation Center and the Director of the NIH T32 Biomaterials Program. Mark's awards include the ACS Nobel Laureate Signature Award, NSF Career Award, Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences, Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, the Edward M. Kennedy Award for Health Care Innovation, the Clemson Award for Applied Research, the ACS Award in Applied Polymer Science, and the RSC 2023 Centenary Prize. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, the American Academy of Nanomedicine, the American Institute of Chemists, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Royal Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Medicine, the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Founding Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Over the course of his tenure, Grinstaff’sgroundbreaking research has yielded more than 400 peer-reviewed publications, more than 200 patents and patent applications, and more than 375 oral presentations. His work has been cited more than 44,500 times. He is a co-founder of several companies and his innovative ideas and his efforts have also led to one new FDA approved pharmaceutical (AbraxaneTM) and four medical device products (OcuSeal® and AdherusSurgical Sealants®) that are now the standard of care. His current research activities involve the synthesis of new natural and synthetic macromolecules and biomaterials, self-assembly chemistry, imaging contrast agents, drug delivery, and wound repair.