BME Seminar Series (Zoom): Ending the Lung Organ Shortage Using 3D Printing Technologies

Abstract: Many lung diseases such as pulmonary arterial hypertension, cystic fibrosis and emphysema result in end-stage lung failure for many patients. The only cure for end-stage lung failure is a lung transplant. With the increasing number of patients needing lungs and the limited number of available donor lungs, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine therapies have a great opportunity to address this challenge. Both academic institutions and industrial organizations have made great efforts to end the organ supply shortage. These efforts vary in scale, resource allocation, technology utilization and strategy. Many of the efforts are complimentary and serve as building blocks towards significantly impacting patients who need organs.  

Bio: Barbara Nsiah is a director at the Organ Manufacturing Group at United Therapeutics. She is part of a 25-member group working on 3D printing technologies to develop a 3D printed lung. At the Organ Manufacturing Group, she oversees strategies for bioink development, cellularization process development and cell sourcing. She joined United Therapeutics in 2014, where she was a founding member of the Regenerative Medicine department. There she led a 10-plus member team to establish methods for cellularization of decelled lung scaffolds and contributed to growth of the department from 5 to 70 members over a 6-year period. Nsiah obtained her Ph.D. in bioengineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she worked under the advisement of Todd McDevitt and the late Bob Nerem. Following her Ph.D., she worked as postodoc under Jennifer West at Duke University. Nsiah is very passionate about seeing women and underrepresented minorities succeed in STEM careers.