Elliot L. Chaikof, M.D., Ph.D.
Johnson and Johnson Professor of Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief
Harvard Medical School/ Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Addressing Challenges in Thrombosis and Bleeding: From Drug Discovery to Device Design
Abstract: This seminar will review approaches we have pursued at the interface of biomedical engineering, chemistry, and materials science that seek to address a variety of problems related to thrombosis and bleeding. Two areas of current interest will be highlighted - cancer associated venous thrombosis and blood contacting artificial organs. Venous thromboembolism is the second leading cause of death in cancer patients and accounts for 20-30% of all thrombotic events, representing an important segment of the global anticoagulant market valued at $39B by 2026. Guidelines recommend thromboprophylaxis in patients with a malignancy. However, new therapeutic approaches are needed, as both heparin and direct oral anticoagulants provide inadequate protection and carry an attendant risk of major bleeding. Blood contacting artificial organs, such as ventricular assist devices, a total artificial heart, implantable respiratory and renal support systems, or synthetic vascular grafts are prone to failure due to the activation of thrombotic cascades and detrimental inflammatory reactions that lead to blood clots. The immobilization of bioactive proteins or carbohydrates on the surfaces of implanted medical devices to limit adverse biological responses have yielded promising results. However, these strategies remain limited by the biodegradation of surface bound bioactive molecules. We have sought to improve the activity and stability of bioactive proteins and carbohydrates that limit blood mediated thrombotic and inflammatory reactions through rational molecular design. We are also developing schemes that rapidly and reproducibly regenerate selective molecular constituents after device implantation to extend the lifetime of bioactive films and enhance clinically related performance characteristics.
Biography: Dr. Chaikof is the Johnson and Johnson Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Chair of the Department of Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He is a member of the Wyss Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, the Broad Institute, and holds a faculty appointment at MIT in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST). Dr. Chaikof received his B.A. and M.D. from Johns Hopkins and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from MIT. He completed residencies in general surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and vascular surgery at Emory University. Dr. Chaikof’s research interests lie at the interface of medicine and engineering, with applications in drug discovery and delivery, cell-based therapies, and tissue engineering. He has been engaged in multiple research consortia, including serving as the Emory University lead Principal Investigator of the NSF sponsored Georgia Tech/Emory Engineering Research Center (ERC) for the Engineering of Living Tissues and, most recently, as Principal Investigator of several NIH Common Fund Programs in Glycoscience and Somatic Cell Genome Editing (SCGE). Dr. Chaikof was the recipient of the Clemson Award in Applied Research from the Society for Biomaterials among other awards, including the Class of 2020 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award from Harvard Medical School. Within the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), Dr. Chaikof recently served as Chair of Section 1 (Engineering Sciences), founding Co-Chair of the Health and Technology Interest Group (IG18), and was a member of the Committee on Emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation (CESTI). Within the National Academies, Dr. Chaikof currently serves as a member of the National Materials and Manufacturing Board (NMMB), the Standing Committee of Biotechnology and National Security Needs, and Co-Chairs the Committee on Biomedical Engineering Materials and Applications (BEMA). He has also served on multiple classified panels for the National Academy Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences and the Army Research Laboratory Technical Assessment Board (ARLTAB).
Please contact bme-web@wpi.edu for a zoom link to this event.