6th Annual Symposium on Biomaterial Science

Design strategies for the future

• Five industrial scientists experienced in working with academia
• Rutgers VP for Academic Affairs Joseph J. Seneca
• Twenty-one leading scientists and clinicians working in biomaterials research, implant science, tissue engineering and drug delivery
• New Jersey academic leaders from the University of Medicine and Dentistry, Rutgers and New Jersey Institute of Technology
• Stanley S. Bergen, Jr., president emeritus of UMDNJ
• Stephen A. Livesey, executive vice president of LifeCell Corporation, Branchburg, NJ

What:

On October 16, the eve of the 6th New Jersey Symposium on Biomaterials Science, five industrial scientists will share case histories of their companies' collaborations with academic researchers and university technology transfer officers. The companies presenting are Cordis, Nascent Enterprises, Polymerix, Advanced Materials Design, and Integra LifeSciences.

Concluding the afternoon, Rutgers' senior vice president for academic affairs Joseph J. Seneca will speak on "New Jersey's Economic Situation and Its Effect on Academic-Industrial Collaborations." He will also present awards to nine industrial member companies of the New Jersey Center for Biomaterials for their ongoing support of academic-industrial R&D.

The after-dinner talk by Patrick J. Sinko of Rutgers College of Pharmacy will look at "Tech Transfer and Start Up Ventures -- The Trials and Tribulations of a Modern Academic."

On October 17-18, twenty-one leading academic and industrial scientists will speak about their latest research on new materials and their applications in medical care. Strategies for designing, screening and testing materials will set the stage for discussions of their use in orthopaedic and vascular surgery, gene therapy, drug delivery, and tissue engineering.

At the October 17 New Jersey Biomaterials Award dinner, the New Jersey Center for Biomaterials will recognize Stanley S. Bergen, Jr., president emeritus of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He had the vision to create the Center as a mechanism for bridging the disciplines and linking clinical researchers with basic scientists. He served as chair of the Center's guiding board from its formal establishment in 1997 until this past spring. He will present after-dinner remarks titled "Today's Ethics in Research."

Also to be honored at the October 17 dinner is Stephen A. Livesey, executive vice president of LifeCell Corporation, who brought his company from Houston to Branchburg three years ago to benefit from New Jersey's biomedical industry. LifeCell develops innovative biologically based products for the repair and replacement of human tissue. Dr. Livesey has actively promoted the Center's biomaterials research programs on a national level and served as a resource to the New Jersey biomaterials community.

Sixty scientific posters and exhibits will offer details of basic studies in half a dozen disciplines that underlie the development of new products.

The Center is a cooperative research initiative that is building a leading national resource with support from the premier educational institutions in New Jersey, the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology, industrial partners, federal agencies, and foundations.

Where and When:

The Somerset Marriott Hotel, Terrace Room, Somerset NJ
October 16, 3:00 -- 8:30 pm
October 17, 8:30 am -- 8:30 pm
October 18, 8:30 am -- 4:00 pm
The 6th New Jersey Symposium on Biomaterials Science.