Andrés J. García

Andrés J. García is the Executive Director of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering & Bioscience and a Regents’ Professor in the George Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. His research focuses on engineered biomaterials for regenerative medicine, including tissue repair, inflammation modulation, and cell adhesion mechanisms. He co-founded three startups (CellectCell, CorAmi Therapeutics, iTolerance) and holds multiple patents in biomaterials and drug delivery systems.

Education:

• Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1996
• M.S.E., University of Pennsylvania, 1992
• B.S., Cornell University, 1991

Research Interests: García’s work integrates engineering, materials science, and cell biology to develop biomaterials that direct cellular responses. Key areas include:

• Biomaterial platforms for bone repair and vascularization
• Immunomodulatory hydrogels for islet transplantation
• Antibacterial hydrogels for implant infection control
• Organoid generation using synthetic hydrogels
• Mechanisms of cell adhesion and mechanotransduction

Publications: Over 30+ peer-reviewed articles in Nature Communications, Science Advances, Biomaterials, and others, highlighting innovations in hydrogel design, stem cell therapies, and biomaterial-driven tissue repair.

Awards: Member of both the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine (2021), Clemson Award for Basic Research (2012), and Fellowships with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and AAAS.

Labs/Teams: Leads the García Laboratory, collaborating across disciplines to translate biomaterials research into clinical applications. Active in startup partnerships and federal grants (e.g., NSF, NIH).