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Understanding the Need in Biomaterials and Clinical Translation

Dr. Emilio Alarcón

Scientist, Division of Cardiac Surgery and Director of the Bio-nanomaterials Chemistry and Engineering Laboratory, University of Ottawa Heart Institute

Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa

January 28, 2021 15:30 - 16:30

This is an online event. The details on how to join the event will be available once you register.

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abstract

Biomaterials and regenerative therapeutics bear the promise of addressing the increasing need for tissue and organ repair. This is particularly important when considering the number of patients living in Canada who rely on interventional procedures and pharmacological therapies. In this presentation, using two representative organs such as heart and cornea, we will discuss how understanding what is needed and how this could be applied becomes key for developing translational therapeutic materials for clinical use.

biography

Dr Alarcón is a Scientist in the Division of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) and Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa (uOttawa). Dr. Alarcón was born in Santiago, Chile. He received his B.Sc. in Chemistry in 2005. He then pursued his MSc and PhD training in Protein Chemistry and Photobiology at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (2009). Dr. Alarcón moved to Ottawa with his wife, where he undertook postdoctoral training (2009-2014) at the University of Ottawa funded with a Chilean Scholarship for talented promising researchers (Becas Chile). Dr Alarcón began his independent research career in 2014-15 when he was recruited to uOttawa/UOHI. He is now the Director of the Bio-nanomaterials Chemistry & Engineering Laboratory (www.beatsresearch.com). Dr Alarcón’s unique research program, directly engaging with front line medical specialists, works to redefine translational medicine, bridging fundamental and applied sciences such as chemistry, mathematics, and nanotechnology for the development of novel bionanomaterials to treat patients with failing organs and tissues. Though early in his career, Dr Alarcón has already published over 85 articles and 10 more are currently under review all in prestigious peer-reviewed journals (h-index is 26, +1,900 total citations, i10 = 51), including Nature Communications, ACS Nano, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Chemical Communications, Nanoscale, Nature Regenerative Medicine, to name a few. He has also published a number of books chapters and acted as a lead editor for two books; Silver Nanoparticles on Biomedicine: "Silver Nanoparticle Applications: In the Fabrication and Design of Medical and Biosensing Devices (2015)", and "Nanoengineering Materials for Biomedical Uses (2019)."

Dr Alarcón’s distinctive discipline-bridging research has been funded by the largest Canadian federal agencies including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Collaborative Health Research Projects grants, the New Frontiers Research Fund, the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, and the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He has served as reviewer for +500 peer-review articles and for several international funding agencies like Austrian Science Fund, Swiss National Science Foundation, French National Research Agency, and Indo-Canadian Institute.

Dr Alarcón’s passion for Science and commitment to passing on scientific knowledge to the masses led him to establish the first Live Streaming Radio in Canada (http://www.beatsresearch.com/Radio.html) from an actual Research Laboratory. BEaTS Radio is an interactive radio program where young researchers interview established investigators in various fields to break down science and discoveries in a way that everyone can understand. Launched in Fall 2019, BEaTS Radio has already interviewed over 60 scientists to date with +1500 minutes of Scientific content as podcasts.