George D Pins

Summary

George D Pins is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). He holds a BS (1989) and PhD (1996) from Rutgers University, followed by a postdoc at Harvard Medical School (1999). His research focuses on creating bioengineered scaffolds to regenerate tissues/organs using biomimetic strategies. Key projects include designing microfabricated basement membrane structures for skin substitutes and fibrin microthreads for muscle regeneration.

Education:

• BS in Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, 1989
• PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, 1996
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Harvard Medical School, 1999

Research Interests: Biomaterials fabrication, cell-biomaterial interactions, wound healing, functional tissue engineering, and bioMEMs. His lab develops 3D constructs mimicking native tissue architectures to study ECM cues and topographic effects on cellular behavior.

Publications: Focus on fibrin microthread scaffolds, crosslinking strategies, and applications in cardiac patches, skeletal muscle repair, and in vitro models. Recent work explores plant-derived vascular structures and anisotropic scaffold design for myogenesis.

Awards: AIMBE Fellowship, WPI Academic Advising Award, ARMI Leadership Council role. Recognized for contributions to tissue engineering and mentoring.

Grants & Labs: NIH-funded projects (e.g., heart muscle patch development). Leads a lab advancing biomaterials for clinical problems like myocardial infarction and volumetric muscle loss.