UConn’s Cato Laurencin has a strong legacy of innovation, leadership, and a dedication to translating research into practical, life-saving medical solutions.
Dr. Laurencin, the University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, is the recipient of the Paul Terasaki Innovation Award, created in memory of renowned organ transplant innovator Dr. Paul Terasaki.
The award recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of biomedical innovation through research, education, industry, translation, or clinical practice. Recipients also demonstrate exemplary efforts to transform their inventions to real-world solutions.
Dr. Laurencin is recognized for his pioneering work in regenerative engineering, polymer science, and musculoskeletal repair and regeneration. Dr. Laurencin invented the Laurencin-Cooper ligament (LC ligament) for regenerating the anterior cruciate ligament and engineered grafts for shoulder rotator cuff tendon repair and regeneration.
“The field of regenerative engineering has already led to the development of groundbreaking technologies that have positively impacted patients,” says Laurencin, who also serves the College of Engineering as professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, professor of materials science and engineering, and professor of biomedical engineering. “Our continued work in complex tissue regeneration promises even more transformative breakthroughs in the future.”
Laurencin’s work in regenerative engineering laid the foundation for several start-up companies, including Healing Orthopaedic Technologies, Soft Tissue Regeneration, and Healing Orthopaedic Technologies Bone. Through these companies and collaborations with industry, Dr. Laurencin has successfully brought soft tissue implants to the market. Additionally, his research has led to the development of products for bone regeneration and interference screw technologies. His contributions to science include over 500 scientific articles, and numerous patents and patent applications. He has written or edited 17 books.
“Dr. Laurencin’s extraordinary work in regenerative engineering and his dedication to advancing human health exemplify the spirit of the Paul Terasaki Distinguished Scientist Innovation Award. We are honored to recognize a visionary leader whose achievements have transformed science and improved countless lives,” says Professor Ali Khademhosseini, director and CEO of the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation. in the award announcement.
Dr. Laurencin serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regeneration, an Institute at UConn created in his honor.
He has received the highest awards of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Materials Research Society, and the American Chemical Society, which awarded him the Priestley Medal.
In 2016, President Barack Obama awarded Dr. Laurencin with the prestigious National Medal of Technology and Innovation, is the highest honor for technological achievement in the United States.
Dr. Laurencin also is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Medicine, and is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He is the first surgeon in history elected to all four of these academies.
Dr. Laurencin earned a BS in chemical engineering from Princeton University, an M.D. from Harvard Medical School, Magna Cum Laude, and a Ph.D. in biochemical engineering/biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Laurencin will receive the award during the 3rd Annual Terasaki Innovation Summit, to be held March 5-7, at the Terasaki Institute Research Headquarters in Woodland Hills, California.
