Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine-based therapies hold immense promise for the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and diseases. While many of these technologies have looked promising in pre-clinical studies, very few have translated to effective clinical interventions. The WillettLab focuses on addressing this gap in translation by developing enabling technology platforms, understanding critical quality attributes of these therapies, and investigating post-intervention rehabilitation strategies to enhance the functional integration of the therapies.
Nick Willett, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the University of ¾«¶«Ó°ÊÓ’s Knight Campus in the Department of Orthopaedics. Dr. Willet received his PhD in biomedical engineering from a joint program between Georgia Tech and Emory University. His research focuses on developing novel technologies and therapies to create new tissues and repair different musculoskeletal tissues after loss, either due to disease, trauma, or age. Dr. Willett’s team works primarily with bone, muscle, and cartilage in the hopes of treating ailments ranging from degenerative diseases to sports injuries like meniscal and tendon tears to traumatic injuries such as blast wounds or injuries due to car accidents. His research sits at the interface between engineering and clinical disciplines.