Knobbe Martens BME Distinguished Lecturer Series: Michael Detamore, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma

Abstract: Our group is interested in new technologies and strategies for osteochondral tissue regeneration. Some of the core tenets of our philosophy for tissue regeneration include the use of raw materials as building blocks, the engineering of continuous gradients, and leveraging osteochondral tissue engineering to enhance cartilage regeneration. The use of scaffolds built exclusively from microspheres provides a means for both raw materials and gradients to be employed in osteochondral tissue engineering. With the use of microspheres, we have shown that a single osteochondral biomaterial implant can be created with a continuous gradient in both material composition and growth factor release, with a seamless transition from one side to the other. A series of in-vivo tests in both the knee and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ, or jaw joint) have yielded promising results for the use of microsphere-based scaffolds. As an alternative strategy, we are pioneering the use of natural cartilage matrix in a paste-like form as a chondroinductive material to fill irregularly shaped cartilage defects. Finally, we have developed a gradient-based design for a biomaterial to treat tracheal stenosis (narrowed airway).  Collectively, multiple translational technologies with issued or pending patents will be covered as a means to bring gradients and raw materials from the bench to the bedside.

Bio: Michael Detamore is the founding director, professor and Stephenson Chair #1 of the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. He earned his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado and his doctorate in bioengineering from Rice University with Kyriacos Athanasiou. He spent 12 years at the University of Kansas as a professor in the Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering before moving to the University of Oklahoma.

He is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award and the Coulter Foundation Translational Research Award, and he was a Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor at NUI Galway in Ireland in 2011. He also is a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering and the Biomedical Engineering Society, and a recipient of the Iwao Yasuda Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society. His primary research interest is regenerative medicine, including biomaterials and stem cells.  Regenerative medicine efforts include nerve regeneration but focus primarily on bone and cartilage regeneration, including the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), knee, cranium and trachea, with a particular focus on translational regenerative medicine.  Central research themes include umbilical cord stem cells and gradients in tissue engineering. He has published over 115 papers and has been awarded six U.S. patents. He also has given more than 80 invited lectures around the world, including in the U.S., Italy, Switzerland, Scotland, Ireland, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, India, the United Arab Emirates and Japan. In addition to his research, he enjoys teaching and has won numerous teaching awards.