Tiago Albertini Balbino, PhD, is a professor at the Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (COPPE) at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil. He coordinates the Graduate Program in Nanotechnology Engineering, which is housed at Latin America’s largest center for research and education in engineering. Professor Balbino is a chemical engineer with a PhD and master’s in chemical engineering from the UNICAMP (São Paulo, Brazil). His doctoral research focused on developing microfluidic processes for creating nanostructured systems used in vaccines and other nanomedicines, a focus he expanded during his internship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States, where he worked on microfabrication techniques for biomedical applications. He later pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at PUC-Rio, advancing his expertise in microfluidic chip design. Currently, his work centers on designing innovative microfluidic chips to address challenges in nanotechnology engineering. He is also actively involved in advancing organ-on-chip technologies, with applications in drug development, disease modeling, and tissue engineering. His work bridges engineering and biomedical science, contributing to cutting-edge research that aims to transform healthcare and train the next generation of scientists and engineers.T Paulo Bartolo is Professor of Advanced Manufacturing at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Executive Director of the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP), and Programme Director of the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) hub at NTU. He is Fellow of CIRP (International Academy for Production Engineering), Honorary/Visiting Professor at several Universities in China, Europe and North America and Advisor of several Funding Agencies and Research Institutes across the world. He authored/co-authored more than 700 publications in journal papers, book chapters and conference proceedings, co-edited 23 books and holds 16 patents in the fields of additive manufacturing, biomanufacturing and tissue engineering. Throughout his career he received several awards and public recognitions including the Gold Medal of Merit of the Portuguese Communities from the Portuguese Government, Professor Honoris Causa from the Polytechnic University of Leiria, the Kobayahi Award for his contributions in the field of biomanufacturing, commendations and public recognitions from the Portuguese Government and the Polytechnic University of Leiria published in the Portuguese Government’s Law Journal and the Medal of Merit from the city of Leiria among others. Paulo Bartolo is among the Top 2% Scientists Worldwide.Ms. Letícia Charelli has a BSc and an MSc in Biotechnology with emphasis on biofabrication, 3D cell culture, and microfluidics. She is currently working with industry players to optimize protocols for regenerative medicine, drug development, and disease modeling. Letícia uses her extensive knowledge to translate the research data from the bench to the bedside as a functional product. Her expertise in microfluidics (e.g., organ-on-chip platforms) have resulted in several international articles, partnership with industries as well as lecturing for undergraduate, graduate, and professionals of several fields.
