Dr. Alessandro Grattoni trained in mechanical engineering and obtained a PhD in biomedical engineering at Polytechnic of Turin, Italy, while performing research of nanoscale transport in Dr. Mauro Ferrari’s laboratory at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas. After completing his research training, he established a drug delivery laboratory focused on biomedical microdevices. His research activities are dedicated to the development and clinical translation of implantable nanofluidic platforms for controlled, long-term drug delivery and cell transplantation. His current research investigations include controlled delivery systems for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), obesity and metabolic syndrome, and intratumoral cancer immunotherapy. Additionally, his team has created a novel 3D printed encapsulation device, the NICHE, for the transplantation of cells for the treatment of endocrine diseases. Dr. Grattoni established the Center for Space Nanomedicine atHMRI, focused on leveraging microgravity on the International Space Station for the investigation of nanomedicine for applications on-Earth and in Space. Dr. Grattoni’s laboratory has received support from, NIH, CASIS, NASA, DOD, JDRF, Gilead Sciences, Automobili Lamborghini, numerous foundations and the industry.Professor Tejal Desai is the Ernest L Prien Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences within the Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), the director of the NIH training grant for the Joint Graduate Program in Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) and UCSF, and the founding director of the UCSF/UC Berkeley Master’s Program in Translational Medicine. Professor Desai’s research spans multiple disciplines including materials engineering, cell biology, tissue engineering, and pharmacological delivery systems to address issues concerning disease and clinical translation. She has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles. Her research is at the cutting-edge in precision medicine. Her research efforts have earned recognition including Technology Review’s "Top 100 Young Innovators,” Popular Science’s Brilliant 10, and NSF’s New Century Scholar. Some of her other honors include the Eurand Grand Prize Award for innovative drug delivery technology, the Young Career Award from the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (IEEE EMBS), the Dawson Biotechnology award, and both the UC Berkeley and Brown University Distinguished Engineering Alumni awards. Recently, she was named Chair-Elect of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows. In 2015, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine Professor Desai is a vocal advocate for STEM education and outreach to underrepresented minority students, collaborating with educational groups such as the Lawrence Hall of Science and the Exploratorium. She received her B.S. from Brown University in biomedical engineering and was awarded a Ph.D. in bioengineering jointly from UCSF and UCB.
