Top researchers in biotechnology

A recent report by Nature Biotechnology ranks David Kaplan, Stern Family Professor in Engineering and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, as one of the top 20 translational researchers in biotechnology. The report examined each person’s total number of patents (US and European) awarded in 2018, their top-cited patent over the past five years, and their H-index to determine the leading translational researchers.

Kaplan ranked 16^th overall with 9 patents in 2018 and an H-index of 126. His patent, “Implantable biomedical devices on bioresorbable substrates” was cited 72 times between 2014-2018. Kaplan joins 6 other ranked translational researchers from Massachusetts – making it the region with the greatest number of leading translational researchers in biotechnology.

The Kaplan Lab focuses on biopolymer engineering to understand structure-function relationships, with emphasis on studies related to self-assembly, biomaterials engineering, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Their studies include a variety of structural proteins, including collagens, elastins, resilins, and silks. In addition, the lab has pioneered the study of silk-based biomaterials in regenerative medicine, ranging from fundamental studies of the biochemistry, molecular biology, and biophysical features of this novel class of fibrous proteins to their impact on stem cell functions and complex tissue formation.

Click here to view the rankings from Nature Biotechnology.