3D-Printable Hydrogel-Based and Particle-Based Biomaterial Ink Platforms

Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Dimension Inx, LLC Prof. Ramille Shah has over 20 years experience in the biomaterials and tissue engineering fields with an expertise in developing and characterizing new biomaterial strategies for tissue and organ regeneration including the use of natural and synthetic polymer systems, self-assembling biomaterials, gene and growth factor delivery systems, and 3D-printable biomaterials that have led to over a dozen issued and pending patents, as well as high impact publications in journals such as Science, Advanced Materials, and Science Translational Medicine. She spent 9 years at Northwestern University as an Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in Materials Science and Engineering and Surgery (Transplant Division) and was recently recruited to the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Department of Bioengineering where she is currently a part time Associate Professor. As head of the Shah Tissue Engineering and Additive Manufacturing (TEAM) Lab, she has been focusing on the development, characterization, and translation of new functional 3D-printable materials that are compatible with room temperature extrusion-based 3D printing for both biomedical (e.g. complex tissue and organ engineering) and non-biomedical (e.g. energy and advanced structural) applications. Prof. Shah has established herself as a renowned leader in materials development for 3D printing, and her work relating to everything from ovary organ and musculoskeletal tissue printing to new methods for printing metals, and Martian and lunar dust has been featured in Forbes Magazine, Crain’s Chicago Business Magazine (also named Crain’s 40 Under 40), Fox 32 News, National Public Radio, the National Science Foundation’s Science Nation News, and other major national and international media outlets. In 2016, Prof. Shah co founded Dimension Inx, LLC to facilitate the translation and commercialization of the 3D-printable material technologies developed in her lab. As Chief Scientific Officer of Dimension Inx, Prof. Shah has been guiding the overall scientific strategy of Dimension Inx, developing various connections and relationships with strategic partners, collaborators, and potential investors, and leading Dimension Inx’s effort towards FDA approval of its initial base products. Prof. Shah earned her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at Northwestern University and her Ph.D. in MSE with a specialty in Biomaterials from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Adam Jakus, Ph.D.: is the co-founder and Chief Technology of Dimension Inx LLC, a start-up developing transformative advanced manufacturing materials and processes for medical and non-medical spaces. Adam received his BS and MS degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Georgia Tech, where he worked on the development and testing of new energetic material systems. In 2010, he began working at Northwestern University with Dimension Inx’s other co-founder, Ramille Shah, Ph.D. While at Northwestern, Adam invented and developed an entirely new, materials-centric approach to 3D-printing and advanced manufacturing, now referred to as 3D-Painting, and hundreds of new 3D-printable materials for medical and non-medical purposes. These materials include, but are not limited to the high tissue and organ regenerative Hyperelastic Bone™, 3D-Graphene, Tissue Papers, and Fluffy-X. With approximately 10 years and many thousands of hours of bioprinting and tissue regenerative 3D-Printing experience, Adam leads the field, providing expertise to several not-for-profit bodies looking to establish guidelines, guidance, and certifications related to the emerging fields of tissue and organ fabrication. He is the author of numerous granted and pending patents, high impact medical and non-medical publications, book chapters, and editorials related to advanced manufacturing and 3D-printing of biomaterials and non-materials. Dr. Jakus will be a speaker of our upcoming Chicago event “3D Print Life” on March 6th, 2019.