Abstract: Research into the creation of new soft tissues within host in vivo environments is crucial to improving the quality of life for many thousands of people worldwide with failing or faulty organs and deficient soft tissues. To this end, biocompatible artificial materials have been investigated and used for many years as alloplasts to replace fatigued, deficient or traumatized body parts. The range of applications is diverse, from metallic hips and polymeric heart valves to silicone joint replacements and breast implants. The talk will provide and overview of the research outcomes to date of the Tissue Engineering Group, in the manufacture and surface modification of 3D porous, biodegradable scaffolds and their application into animal hosts.

Resume:  Prior to joining The University of Melbourne in 1999, Dr. Justin Cooper-White gained extensive national and international experience over seven years in industry as an employee of Shell (Australia) Ltd. and as a senior consulting engineer thereafter. Justin is currently the Research Manager of the Particulate Fluids Processing Centre, a Special Research Centre of the ARC and a senior research fellow in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. His research interests include biopolymers, emulsion behaviour and processing, microdrop production and delivery, microfluidics and tissue engineering. He is a Committee Member on the Joint Victorian Chemical Engineering Committee and is the President of the Australian Society of Rheology.