Mahdis Shayan captures ECTM Poster Award and STAR Award Honorable Mention

PITTSBURGH (May 27, 2015) ... Mahdis Shayan, a PhD candidate in the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering's Department of Industrial Engineering, received two awards at the 2015 annual meeting of the Society for Biomaterials , held in Charlotte, NC, in mid-April. Ms. Shayan was awarded a STAR Award honorable mention for her presentation, "Improved MC3T3 cellular growth on nano-grained 316L stainless steel obtained by linear-plane machining severe plastic deformation."

This presentation detailed Ms. Shayan's research in developing nano-grained stainless steel structures to investigate the material's interaction with bone tissue. The Swanson School of Engineering's YJ Medical Device Manufacturing Laboratory research team (with The Shankar Research Group) concluded that novel nanograin surfaces improve cellular behavior and present a potential platform technology for advancing the function of metallic biomaterials.

The society's STAR award, or Student Travel Achievement Recognitions award , acknowledges outstanding student papers contributing to the biomaterials field.

Ms. Shayan's poster, titled "A Novel Metallic Scaffold that Promotes the Rapid Seeding of Endothelial Cells," garnered the society's Engineering Cells and Their Microenvironment (ECTM) Poster Award. This poster addressed the development of a new biomaterial for tissue engineered vascular grafts using thin film nitinol, a conductive metal scaffold. The study demonstrated that thin film nitinol could rapidly increase the number of cells attached on the surface via electrostatic cell seeding.

"These awards from the Society for Biomaterials recognize students achieving excellent research in the field of biomaterials." said her adviser, Dr. Youngjae Chun . "We are proud that Mahdis's research efforts are drawing the attention of such an esteemed organization, and we are excited by the potential field applications of this research."

The Society For Biomaterials is a multidisciplinary society of academic, healthcare, governmental and business professionals dedicated to promoting advancements in all aspects of biomaterial science, education and professional standards to enhance human health and quality of life. Its Annual Meeting is where industry, academia, and clinicians gather to discuss the latest trends and developing scientific breakthroughs in the biomaterials field. This year's theme was "Driving Biomaterial Innovation and the Race to Translation" and included topics such as biocompatibility and immune engineering, biofabrication, and multifunctional design.

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Author: Paul Kovach