Virtual Course Program
All times listed are Central Time
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
| Time | Virtual Lecture and Speaker Information |
| 8:15-8:30 a.m. | Introductory Remarks Antonios G. Mikos, Ph.D., Rice University |
| 8:30-9:30 a.m. | Keynote Lecture: Biofabrication Technologies for Tissue Engineering Lorenzo Moroni, Ph.D., Maastricht University, The Netherlands |
| 9:40-10:20 a.m. | Biomanufacturing of MSCs for Immunomodulation and Tissue Engineering Johnna S. Temenoff, Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University |
| 10:30-11:10 a.m. | Synthetic Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Antonios G. Mikos, Ph.D., Rice University |
| 11:20 a.m.-12:00 noon | Biomaterial Topographies for Tissue Engineering Luis A. Diaz Gomez, Ph.D., University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain |
| 12:00 noon-1:30 p.m. | Break |
| 1:30-2:10 p.m. | Extracellular Matrix: Structure and Function; Applications to Tissue Engineering Mary C. Farach-Carson, Ph.D., University of Texas Health School of Dentistry |
| 2:20-3:00 p.m. | Regenerative Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering Teja Guda, Ph.D., University of Texas at San Antonio |
| 3:10-3:50 p.m. | AI-driven Modeling of Biomolecular Interactions Lydia E. Kavraki, Ph.D., Rice University |
| 4:00-4:40 p.m. | Collagen and Beyond: Human-Derived Biomaterials for Tissue Regeneration and Drug Discovery Applications Mohammad Albanna, Ph.D., Humabiologics, Inc. |
| 4:50-5:30 p.m. | Tissue Engineering in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Cancer Immunotherapy Approaches Simon Young, D.D.S., M.D., Ph.D., University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry |
Thursday, August 13, 2026
| Time | Virtual Lecture and Speaker Information |
| 8:00-8:40 a.m. | Biomimetic Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering Hai Lin, Ph.D., Sichuan University, China |
| 8:50-9:30 a.m. | Surface Modification of Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering Heungsoo Shin, Ph.D., Hanyang University, Korea |
| 9:40-10:20 a.m. | Biodegradable Metals for Tissue Engineering William R. Wagner, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh |
| 10:30-11:10 a.m. | Semiconductor Technology and Materials that Promote Rapid Bone Healing with Applications in Tissue Engineering Venu G. Varanasi, Ph.D., University of Texas at Arlington |
| 11:20 a.m.-12:00 noon | Imaging Strategies for Tissue Engineering – Raman Microspectroscopy and Imaging Katja Schenke-Layland, Ph.D., Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany |
| 12:00 noon-1:30 p.m. | Break |
| 1:30-2:10 p.m. | 3D Printing of Complex Engineered Tissues John P. Fisher, Ph.D., University of Maryland |
| 2:20-3:00 p.m. | Bioprinting of Living Tissues Thomas Boland, Ph.D., University of Texas at El Paso |
| 3:10-3:50 p.m. | Bioprinting for Tissue Engineering Using Functional Biomaterial Inks Maria Chatzinikolaidou, Ph.D., University of Crete, Greece |
| 4:00-4:40 p.m. | Bioprinting for Translational Applications James J. Yoo, M.D., Ph.D., Wake Forest University |
| 4:50-5:30 p.m. | Tissue Engineering and Infectious Diseases Alexander Tatara, M.D., Ph.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center |
Friday, August 14, 2026
| Time | Virtual Lecture and Speaker Information |
| 8:00-8:40 a.m. | Drug Delivery Systems for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Yasuhiko Tabata, Ph.D., D.Med.Sci., D.Pharm., Kyoto University, Japan |
| 8:50-9:30 a.m. | mRNA Technology and the Future of Medicine Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis, M.D., Sc.D., University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 9:40-10:20 a.m. | Stem Cell Secretomes for Tissue Engineering Athina Bakopoulou, D.D.S., Ph.D., Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece |
| 10:30-11:10 a.m. | Engineering Synthetic Regulatory Networks in Human Cells Caleb J. Bashor, Ph.D., Rice University |
| 11:20 a.m.-12:00 noon | Programming Human Gene Expression Using Novel Designer RNAs and Engineered Peptides Isaac B. Hilton, Ph.D., Rice University |
| 12:00 noon-1:30 p.m. | Break |
| 1:30-2:10 p.m. | Connecting Basic Science to Therapies Through Mechanobiology Cynthia Reinhart-King, Ph.D., Rice University |
| 2:20-3:00 p.m. | Tissue Engineering of Heart Valves K. Jane Grande-Allen, Ph.D., Rice University |
| 3:10-3:50 p.m. | Engineering Neural Tissue Models In Vitro with Guidance from Development Jessica Butts, Ph.D., Rice University |
| 4:00-4:40 p.m. | Tissue Engineering in Orthopedic Surgery Lorenzo Deveza, M.D., Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine |
| 4:50-5:30 p.m. | Development of Matrix-Based Therapeutics – A Perspective of Human Tissue in Tissue Engineering Michael Floren, Ph.D., AlloSource |
Saturday, August 15, 2026
| Time | Virtual Lecture and Speaker Information |
| 8:00-8:40 a.m. | Biomaterial-Based Multimodal Regulatory Strategy for Nerve Tissue Engineering Xiumei Wang, Ph.D., Tsinghua University, China |
| 8:50-9:30 a.m. | Bioenergetic-active Materials in Regenerative Engineering Shengmin Zhang, Ph.D., Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China |
| 9:40-10:20 a.m. | Therapeutic Brain Computer Interfaces Jacob T. Robinson, Ph.D., Rice University |
| 10:30-11:10 a.m. | Engineering Material Interfaces for the Nervous System Christina M. Tringides, Ph.D., Rice University |
| 11:20 a.m.-12:00 noon | Tissue Engineering in Global Health Kevin J. McHugh, Ph.D., Rice University |
| 12:00 noon-1:30 p.m. | Break |
| 1:30-2:10 p.m. | Nanomedicine-Based Approaches for Disease Therapies Gang Bao, Ph.D., Rice University |
| 2:20-3:00 p.m. | Bioengineering Cell-Based Therapeutics from Bench to Bedside Omid Veiseh, Ph.D., Rice University |
| 3:10-3:50 p.m. | Superhydrophobic Nanostructures for High Throughput Culture of Cancer Cell Aggregates Michael R. King, Ph.D., Rice University |
| 4:00-4:40 p.m. | Engineering the Tumor Microenvironment Eliza Fong, Ph.D., National University of Singapore, Singapore |
| 4:50-5:30 p.m. | Tissue-Engineered Preclinical Models of Cancer Eleonora Dondossola, Ph.D., University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |