Professor receives $2.1M NIH award to investigate bioabsorbable metal implants and inflammation during wound healing

Dr. Roger Guillory II, assistant professor in the Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been awarded an R35 award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) in the amount of $2.1M for the project, "Clarifying engineered bioabsorbable metals tissue-biomaterial interface and regeneration." The award is classified as a Maximizing Investigators Research Award (MIRA) for Early-Stage Investigators, which is intended to enhance scientific productivity and the chances for important breakthroughs among highly talented and promising investigators.

This five-year project will investigate how bioabsorbable metals used in medical implants influence wound healing and tissue regeneration. Bioabsorbable metals represent a promising class of biomaterials for creating fully regenerative medical implants, as they gradually corrode and are resorbed by the body after fulfilling their structural role. Currently, the highly variable biocorrosion behavior of these metals once implanted is not fully understood. Guillory's goal is to establish a technical design framework for developing bioabsorbable metal implant materials that can actively modulate the body's healing response.

"There is so much that we do not understand related to the degradation process of these materials, especially in the context of inflammation and wound healing. For years, the field has engineered new materials with a focus on achieving specific degradation properties, however upon implantation we see varied responses," said Guillory. "We hope this work will lead to more precision bioabsorbable material engineering, factoring in nuanced inflammatory and wound healing reactions. The ultimate goal would be to engineer materials that can improve the wound healing response, and possibly even accelerate it."

"This is an important project that will open the door to more innovative solutions in implant technology, ultimately improving outcomes for patients and changing lives," said Dr. Kristina Ropella, Opus Dean of the Opus College of Engineering. "I am grateful for Dr. Guillory's creativity and leadership to deepen our understanding of bioabsorbable metals. His multidisciplinary background and expertise are an asset to Marquette, MCW, Milwaukee and the world."

Guillory joined the Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2023. Guillory is director of the Regenerative Engineered Biomaterials Laboratory (REB Lab) with research interests that include cellular and molecular interactions of bioactive materials, bioabsorbable metals, advanced biomaterials characterization techniques and developing biomaterials.