Polymer-Based Material Design and Fabrication Innovations Positioned to Improve Healthcare

MARCH 10-12, 2026 | RALEIGH, NC
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New! Polymer-Based Material Design
and Fabrication Innovations Positioned to Improve Healthcare

This session will focus on cutting-edge advancements in polymer chemistry, fabrication, and data-driven material design aimed at: (1) solving new or long-standing challenges in healthcare (2) markedly improving current healthcare delivery. Speakers will share nascent innovations focused on meeting today’s societal health care needs.

Topics & Application Areas

Biocompatibility, including antimicrobial and antifouling polymers and polymer coatings to prevent inflammation and infections
Novel uses of biodegradability for improved therapies such as improved control of degradation rates to match tissue healing or drug release timelines
Nanoparticle polymer design for targeted drug delivery and controlled release, while reducing side effects
Polymer-based diagnostics and biosensors; wearable or implantable devices; stimuli responsive polymers
Tissue engineering and scaffolding that support cell growth and tissue regeneration
Bioadhesives and sealants for wound closures, surgical and tissue repairs
3D-printable polymers for customized scaffolds in prosthetics, bone, cartilage, tissue or organ regeneration
Incorporation of AI to assist in meeting optimized performance criteria in the areas above
Other

Symposium Co-Chairs

Pat Brant

Chief Polymer Science Advisor (retired)

ExxonMobil

Kim Chaffin

Vice President

Medtronic

Key Speakers

Designing for Degradation: the Next Frontier of 3D Printing Resorbable Medical Devices

Matthew Becker

Professor,

Duke University

Advances in Elastomeric Material Design with RX-AM(TM) Reactive Additive Manufacturing

Cora Leibig

Founder and CEO,

Chromatic 3D Materials

Greg Mulholland

Founder

Citrine Informatics

A Hydrogel-Elastomer Composite Approach to Elastomer Lubricity, Hydrogel Durability, and Biomechanically Accurate Soft-Tissue Mimics

Travis Bailey

Professor,

Colorado State

Fractomer™: Harnessing An Intrinsically Disordered Protein Polymer Platform for Soft-Tissue Reconstruction

Stefan Roberts

CEO,

inSoma Bio, Inc.

Back to Top ↑ 2026 Symposium Sessions
	Tuesday March 10
	Wednesday March 11
4:00	Polymers for Healthcare - Posters
	Thursday March 12
9:00	Polymer-Based Material Design and Fabrication Innovations Positioned to Improve Healthcare

2026 Symposium Program
	Tuesday March 10
	Wednesday March 11

4:00	Polymers for Healthcare - Posters	Expo Hall AB
	Improving MRI Safety in Renal Disease: Encapsulated Small Molecules as Alternative Contrast Agents O. Bulgin, E. Van Keuren, C. Albanese, O. Rodriguez, Y. Lee, Y. Chung, Georgetown University, US
	Collagen-Polycaprolactone nanofiber scaffold with antimicrobial agents for deep wound healing M. Khandaker, S. Mesiya, R. Wolf, M.B. Vaughan, University of Central Oklahoma, US
	Thursday March 12

9:00	Polymer-Based Material Design and Fabrication Innovations Positioned to Improve Healthcare	Marriott State B
	Session chair: Pat Brant, ExxonMobil (retired), & Kim Chaffin, Medtronic
	Advances in Elastomeric Material Design with RX-AM(TM) Reactive Additive Manufacturing C.M. Leibig, Chromatic 3D Materials Inc., US
	A Hydrogel-Elastomer Composite Approach to Elastomer Lubricity, Hydrogel Durability, and Biomechanically Accurate Soft-Tissue Mimics T.S. Bailey, J.G. Luther, A.J. Gebhardt, R.D. Duquette, K.D. Denef, Gelastomerics LLC \| Colorado State University, US
	Encapsulation of small molecules in polymer nanoparticles through kinetic trapping E. Van Keuren, M. Mugnai, O. Bulgin, F. Diaz Ruiz, Y. Chung, A. Stevens, M. Mullin, E. Bird, K. Jeon, M. Snideman, Georgetown University, US
	PCANS: A Multi-Modal Nasal Spray for Enhanced Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Against Respiratory Infections A. Banerjee, Brigham and Women's Hospital, US
	Designing for Degradation: the Next Frontier of 3D Printing Resorbable Medical Devices M.L. Becker, Duke University, US
	Demystifying the Hype and Promise of AI in Materials G.J. Mulholland, Citrine Informatics, US
	Fractomer™: Harnessing An Intrinsically Disordered Protein Polymer Platform for Soft-Tissue Reconstruction S. Roberts, M. Anderson, E. Budziszewski, R. Putnam, S. Hollenbeck, A. Chilkoti, inSoma Bio, Inc., US