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SC EPSCoR/IDeA to Help Lead International Society for Biofabrication at the University of South Carolina

Submitted by: Ashley Hannah on Nov 19, 2010 at 7:23 pm Tagged with: Biofabrication, CoEE Program, endowed chairs, SCRA Source: SCRA

SCRA to Support as Fiscal Agent, Headquarters Location

COLUMBIA, SC – NOVEMBER 17, 2010- South Carolina’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research and Institutional Development Awards (EPSCoR/IDeA) Program is now helping to deploy a newly established International Society for Biofabrication (ISBF) to address the scientific and engineering challenges of biofabricating human tissues. Dr. T. Scott Little, Research Professor at the University of South Carolina (USC), was appointed as the ISBF’s first Executive Director.

During the recent International Conference on Biofabrication in Philadelphia, PA, over 100 leading scientists representing 13 countries convened and established the ISBF. The society will unite the emerging international scientific community to more rapidly develop the clinical and commercial applications of biofabrication.

Biofabrication uses living matter as basic building blocks to assemble advanced biological tissues for use in the treatment of disease and injury, such as skin grafts, joint replacements, and even transplantable organs. Biofabrication technology also has applications in three-dimensional biology, drug discovery and cosmetic testing.

Dr. Wei Sun, Albert Soffa Chair Professor at Drexel University and 1000plan Chair Professor at Tsinghua University (China), was elected as inaugural president by the ISBF Board of Directors.

The society headquarters will be located at SCRA’s Innovation Center in Columbia. SCRA is a global leader in targeted applied research and commercialization services markets, who currently manages over 100 national and international programs worth $1.4 billion. South Carolina has a number of programs that are currently developing advancements in biofabrication. Led by Dr. Little, the SC EPSCoR/IDeA Program is currently executing a $20 million award from the National Science Foundation to improve South Carolina’s research infrastructure for biofabrication technologies. This award is being led scientifically by MUSC researcher Dr. Roger Markwald, and SCRA is the administrator and fiscal agent.

South Carolina also offers unique support for the ISBF through the Regenerative Medicine Center of Economic Excellence (COEE) which was established in 2004. This COEE is led by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and includes all three of the state’s research universities. Through the COEE Endowed Chair Program, Clemson University, University of South Carolina (USC), and MUSC have attracted top talent in this research area including:

• Dr. Richard Swaja, is COEE Endowed Chair in Regenerative Medicine at MUSC.
• Dr. Xuejun Wen is COEE Endowed Chair in Regenerative Medicine at Clemson.
• Dr. Martin Morad is COEE Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Health at USC and is affiliated with the Regenerative Medicine COEE at MUSC.

“SCRA and its partner programs, such as SC EPSCoR/IDeA, continue to make great strides in attracting strategic research and development to South Carolina,” said SCRA CEO Bill Mahoney. “Technology discoveries through EPSCoR/IDeA and the Centers of Economic Excellence Endowed Chairs program have a history of commercialization that also brings economic benefit to the state. We congratulate ISBF leaders on this new initiative, and also Dr. Little as he accepts a key international role in the development of biofabrication technologies that can mean so much to both health outcomes and economic development.”