Engineering Approaches to Sickle Cell Disease: Innovations, Applications and Future Prospects

Gilda A. Barabino served as the second president of Olin College of Engineering where she currently holds an appointment as Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. Prior to Olin, she served as Dean of the Grove School of Engineering at the City College of New York (CCNY). She has also held academic and administrative appointments at Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, and Northeastern University.

A chemical engineering trailblazer in the fields of medicine and global health, she has pursued an equity ethic across her interdisciplinary career. Her seminal discoveries in sickle cell research and orthopedic tissue engineering have informed current technologies and formed the basis of novel therapies. At CCNY she established the Master’s in Translational Medicine program, which addresses unmet clinical needs through the integration of engineering, medical innovation, and entrepreneurship.

She leads on a global stage and is a past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest interdisciplinary scientific society. She is also a past president of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Mykel D. Green is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tulane University, where he leads the Regenerative Engineering and Equity Lab (REEL). His research focuses on developing biomaterial-based therapies informed by disease pathology to improve cell-based treatments. The lab’s work centers on bone marrow transplantation for sickle cell disease and explores related therapeutic strategies for conditions such as postmenopausal health. By studying how factors like age, sex, and disease state influence hematopoietic stem cell function, Dr. Green’s team designs materials and delivery systems that enhance transplantation outcomes and tissue recovery.

In addition to his research, Dr. Green is committed to advancing biomedical innovation and strengthening STEM education. His teaching integrates ethical and human-centered perspectives into engineering curricula, emphasizing technical excellence, problem-solving, and professional responsibility. Through this approach, students gain both the analytical and interpersonal skills needed to address complex challenges in healthcare and biotechnology.

David K. Wood is Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He leads The Living Devices Lab, which integrates expertise in microtechnology, tissue engineering, and quantitative measurements to engineer in vitro models of human disease and to perform precision measurements on biological systems. His lab creates engineered tissues with precise control over biological components and transport processes at physiologically and pathologically relevant length scales. These cutting-edge platforms enable fundamental mechanistic discovery, improved diagnostic approaches, and accelerated therapeutic development. His research program encompasses: (1) sickle cell disease biophysics, where his group seeks to understand the biophysical underpinnings of the disease from molecules to whole organisms and to improve clinical management of the disease with new diagnostics and therapeutic approaches; (2) tumor microenvironment modeling, including high-throughput 3D microtissue platforms and tumor-on-a-chip systems to understand metastatic progression and evaluate immunotherapies for solid tumors; and (3) microphysiological systems to study human tissues in health and disease. In addition to research, Dr. Wood is a committed educator and mentor with over a decade of teaching undergraduate and graduate students. Through his teaching and service, he contributes to inclusive and equitable STEM education.