Fisher, Betz Featured on Discovery.com

• Fisher accomplishments

Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BioE) associate professor John Fisher and graduate student Martha Betz have been featured on an episode of the Discovery Channel's online Discovery News program.

In the segment, "Is It the Future Yet? Engineering Tissue," Discovery Channel reporter Jorge Ribas visits Fisher's Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Laboratory, where Fisher and Betz discuss their current research, including tissue and bone regeneration using a combination of patients' own adult stem calls and implantable, synthetic polymer materials called "scaffolds" that support their growth as new cartilage or bone is regenerated.

In recent years Fisher and his research group have received growing attention and accolades for their work, including a 2006 University of Maryland Office of Technology Commercialization Invention of the Year Award, one of the State's first Stem Cell Research Fund grants in 2007, and an Engalitcheff Arthritis Investigator Award from the Arthritis Foundation in 2008. Fisher is also the co-PI of a project that has received a 5-year NIH grant to study bone tissue engineering strategies for the regeneration of dental tissues, as well as the reviews editor for Tissue Engineering and the director of BioE's highly competitive, National Science Foundation-sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program on Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering. He was recently named Associate Chair and Director of Bioengineering Undergraduate Studies.

To watch the Discovery News segment, visit Discovery.com »

For More Information:

Visit the Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Laboratory web site »

Published August 28, 2009