Syracuse University’s Stevenson Biomaterials Lecture presents Lori A. Setton on April 11

Syracuse University’s Stevenson Biomaterials Lecture presents Lori A. Setton on April 11April 03, 2008Tricia Hopkinsthopkins@syr.edu

Lori A Setton, the Mary M. Yoh and Harold L. Yoh, Jr., Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Surgery at Duke University, will deliver the spring 2008 presentation in the Stevenson Biomaterials Lecture Series on Friday, April 11. She will speak on a “Rational Approach to the Design of Hydrogels for Cartilage Repair” from 2-4 p.m. in the Kilian Room, Room 500 of the Hall of Languages. The lecture is free and open to the public.

The Stevenson Biomaterials Lecture, made possible through the support of Ann McOmber Stevenson ’52 and SU Trustee Emeritus Milton F. Stevenson III ’53, brings pioneering biomaterials researchers to the SU campus each semester. Presenters are selected based on their leading roles in research in biomaterials — natural and synthetic substances designed to treat, augment or replace tissues and organs of the human body as treatments to disease or injury. In addition, Stevenson lecturers visit with faculty and students to exchange ideas, build bridges and become familiar with the broad range of biomaterials research at Syracuse University.

“This lecture follows on the heels of an outstanding inaugural lecture last fall, and Lori Setton will surely carry the torch admirably,” says Patrick T. Mather, Stevenson Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering and director of the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute (SBI). “A strength within SBI is the area of orthopedic biomaterials, and we are collectively excited to hear from such an esteemed researcher in the area. Certainly, her lecture and interactions while on campus will stimulate new ideas.”

In her lecture, Setton will cover how biomaterials promote cartilage regeneration and their potential to promote functional restoration of damaged tissue. Her research focuses on understanding the mechanisms for degeneration and regeneration of soft tissues of the musculoskeletal system. Setton is funded through grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Whitaker Foundation, the Coulter Foundation, the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

Setton joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University in 1994. She holds a B.S.E. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University and master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Columbia University.