Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin, MD, Ph.D., KCSL, has been named the winner of the 2026 Jensen Tissue Engineering Award 2026 by TERMIS (Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society, Inc.) Global.
Laurencin is receiving the award in recognition of his groundbreaking work on polymer nanofiber technology, bioinductive implants and polymer-ceramics technologies, all of which are being used in numerous products in the field of Regenerative Engineering, which he pioneered. The award will be presented to Laurencin at the TERMIS conference in November in New Orleans.
The Jensen Tissue Engineering Award is the highest international accolade bestowed by TERMIS. The award was established from a gift from Dr. Ole T. Jensen, a world-renowned oral surgeon and innovative businessman, to recognize an individual for sustained scientific contributions, translational impact towards clinical realization and professional distinction in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Laurencin is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work in the use of polymeric biomaterials chemistry and engineering to treat musculoskeletal conditions and to improve the human condition. He and his colleagues produced seminal work in patents and papers on polymeric nanofiber technology for tissue regeneration. Laurencin also produced pioneering work on bioinductive implants for musculoskeletal regeneration. The Laurencin-Cooper ligament was highlighted by National Geographic Magazine in its “100 Scientific Discoveries That Changed the World” edition. This has inspired products used by millions of patients.
Laurencin pioneered the combination of polymers and ceramics for use in musculoskeletal repair and regeneration, which led to him being named one of the 100 Engineers of the Modern Era by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. His seminal papers and patents have been the basis for the utilization of polymer-ceramics for technologies, such as interference screws, and for bone repair and regeneration. He has pioneered work combining polymeric materials chemistry with human allograft tissues with products such as Magnifuse by Medtronic on the market. Laurencin has had breakthrough discoveries in the areas of materials chemistry and engineering, pioneering the concept of inductive materials regenerative engineering, where materials directly regenerate tissues without the use of morphogenetic factors.
He is universally acclaimed as the founder of the field of Regenerative Engineering, pioneering the convergence of advanced materials science, stem cell biology, physics, developmental biology, and clinical translation for the regeneration of complex tissues and organ systems. His pioneering achievements have earned him recognition as the “Father of Regenerative Engineering,” and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Foundation established and endowed the Cato T. Laurencin Founder’s Award in Regenerative Engineering in his honor.
His work has been recognized in receiving the highest awards in Chemistry (the Priestley Medal), Materials Science (the Von Hippel Award), Medicine (the Dickson Prize), Science (the Philip Hauge Abelson Prize), and Technology (the National Medal of Technology and Innovation).
Laurencin is the first surgeon in history elected to all four major U.S. national academies. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Medicine, and an elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He is also an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is the first in history to receive the Walsh McDermott Medal from the National Academy of Medicine and the Simon Ramo Founder’s Award from the National Academy of Engineering.
At the University of Connecticut, Sir Cato Laurencin serves as the University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the UConn School of Medicine. He is professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, professor of Materials Science and Engineering and professor of Biomedical Engineering. He is the Chief Executive Officer of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, an Institute created and named in his honor.
Laurencin received his B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering at Princeton, his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology from M.I.T. and his M.D., Magna Cum Laude from the Harvard Medical School.
In recognition of his global contributions, Laurencin was bestowed Knight Commander of the Order of St. Lucia, conferred under the auspices of King Charles III through the Governor General of St. Lucia.
