June CÚRAM to Host Harvard Professor as Part of Distinguished Seminar Series

CÚRAM the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre in Medical Devices will host Professor David Mooney from Harvard University as part of its Distinguished Seminar Series at NUI Galway on Tuesday, 12 June. Professor Mooney’s seminar is entitled ‘Building Immunity with Biomaterials’.

Professor Mooney is the Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering in the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a Core Faculty Member of the Wyss Institute.

The basic question that drives Mooney's research is: how do mammalian cells receive information from the materials in their environment. He studies the mechanisms by which chemical or mechanical signals are sensed by cells and alter their development to either promote tissue growth or destruction.

Results from these studies are to design and synthesize new biomaterials that regulate the gene expression of interacting cells for a variety of tissue engineering and drug delivery projects. Professor Mooney’s current projects focus on the therapeutic development of blood vessels, regeneration of musculoskeletal tissues, and cancer therapies.

Professor Mooney is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors and has won numerous awards, including the Clemson Award from the Society for Biomaterials, MERIT award from the National Institutes of Health, Distinguished Scientist Award from the IADR, Phi Beta Kappa Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and the Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award from Harvard College. His inventions have been licensed by numerous companies, leading to commercialised products, and he is active on industrial scientific advisory boards.

Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director of CÚRAM, said: “We are delighted to be hosting a speaker of David’s caliber. We are continuously building our research, industry and clinical networks at CÚRAM and David’s work aligns perfectly with our aim to translate exciting work in the laboratory to raise quality of life for people living with chronic illness.”

The seminar will take place at 4pm on Tuesday, 12June in the Biomedical Sciences Building, North Campus at NUI Galway.

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