Dr. Emily Wilts earned her PhD at Virginia Tech in Macromolecular Science and Engineering in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA and now is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Prof. Timothy Kieffer’s lab in CAPS. She is researching novel biomaterials with immunomodulatory properties for islet encapsulation in cell-based diabetes treatments. Incorporating releasing anti-inflammatory molecules and 3D bioprinting for complex surface structures may reduce foreign body responses in vivo with the hopes of protecting encapsulated cells for over one year.
Emily has won the BC Regenerative Medicine Dragon’s Den Competition for Trainee Projects.