Over the past five decades, basic research into the structure of biological macromolecules has begun to deconvolute the structural principles that underlie the unique functionality of biological systems. While this course is far from complete, the information obtained from these studies has enabled the scientific community to gain an understanding of the relevant physical and engineering principles that guide self-assembly of biological systems on nano-, meso-, and macroscopic length scales, as well as the mechanistic features of these complex living systems that work in concert to generate distinctive functional responses in time and space. Our research group utilizes biologically based engineering principles for the design and construction of non-native materials and bioactive drugs. Recent research efforts in areas related to blood coagulation and inflammation and the control of these responses at interfaces will be reviewed.

Elliot Chaikof was born and raised in Toronto and his earned BA and MD degrees at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He completed a residency in general surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital and while a surgical resident, received a PhD in Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a focus on artificial organs and the design of biomaterials for reconstructive surgery. Following his surgical training in Boston, he completed additional training in Vascular Surgery at the Emory University School of Medicine where he joined the surgical faculty, most recently holding the John E. Skandalakis Professorship and serving as Chief of Vascular Surgery. While at Emory University, Dr. Chaikof held secondary appointments as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and was a member of the faculty in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. In August 2010, Dr. Chaikof became Chairman and Surgeon-in-Chief of the Roberta and Stephen R. Weiner Department of Surgery at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Johnson and Johnson Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He is a member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, and on the faculty at MIT in the Harvard–MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. Dr. Chaikof is the recipient of the 2013 Clemson Award in Applied Research from the Society for Biomaterials and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (Institute of Medicine) in 2014. Dr. Chaikof has served as the primary mentor for 16 PhD or MD-PhD students and over 50 postdoctoral research associates, many of whom currently hold faculty positions in Departments of Biomedical, Mechanical, and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Surgery, as well as leadership positions in industry.