John Tolbert '18, a fourth-year PhD student in polymer science and engineering and member of the Chow Lab, works on characterizing the mechanical and degradation properties of solvent-cast polymer-based scaffolds and membranes. In this video, he explains how he uses 3D printing to create scaffolds that may one day help regenerate damaged knee tissue.
"If you have damaged cartilage tissue in the knee [or] if you have arthritis or degenerative bone disease, there are not a lot of great options for care that are long-term and provide a high quality of life," says Tolbert. "The greater issue is when you have someone that needs a knee replacement when they're 20. so they're going to require multiple replacements multiple revision surgeries. Our technique would be an intervention technique and it allows the body to heal itself over time."
Tolbert also works on cornea tissue engineering with his advisor, Lesley Chow, an assistant professor of bioengineering and materials science and engineering. Watch the video to learn more about his research.
Video by Christine Fennessy, multimedia content creator, P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science
