Kristi Anseth, a scientist who causes bones, skin, and cartilage to heal themselves

Kristi Anseth, 55 years old, spent more than 30 years pursuing the field of chemistry, succeeding in transmitting signals to cells so they multiply quickly, regenerating skin, cartilage, and bones when injured. She was honored with a special female scientist award worth $500,000 VinFuture Award 2024 for advances in polymer material design and methods for biomedical applications.

Anseth grew up in Williston, a town of 13,000 residents in North Dakota, USA. Here, the most respected professions are doctors and lawyers. But luckily, a high school career counselor pointed out that her aptitude for math and chemistry was perfect for chemical engineering. “I didn’t know what a chemical engineer would do. I thought about medical school, but chemical engineering attracted me because I could do medical-related research,” Anseth shared.

Anseth graduated from the University of North Dakota-Williston, then continued his studies at Purdue University. Here, her career had an important turning point when she knocked on the door of Nicholas Peppas’ office. Peppas, a college consultant and bioengineering researcher, saw in Anseth seriousness and focus—the type of student he needed in the lab.

Peppas became increasingly impressed with Anseth’s abilities and encouraged her to combine chemical engineering with the biomedical field. Then, when she attended a lecture by professor Robert Langer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she was fascinated by the descriptions of the early stages of tissue engineering.

Anseth received her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University in 1992. She then went to the University of Colorado Boulder to pursue her doctorate. “Anseth is as outstanding a student as we have ever seen,” said Robert Davis, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. Peppas also realized her limitless potential. “Anseth tries to find solutions that make people’s lives better,” he said.

2008 was a brilliant year for Anseth. She was named an outstanding professor, the youngest person to receive this title in the history of Purdue University. Magazine Popular Science named her one of the “10 Outstanding Scientists” and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers named her to its list of “100 Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era”.

Anseth and his research team pioneered the development of biomaterials as synthetic extracellular matrix (ECM), capturing key biochemical and physiological features of the cellular niche – the unique environment of tissue, heterogeneous and dynamic. The unique feature of her method is the ability to create cell-containing substrates in three-dimensional space, in which the properties of the substrate can be changed as required – called 4D biology.

Anseth and his colleagues also learned how cells sense, store and exchange information with the ECM, then use this information to tailor biomaterial niches into cell transport vehicles to regenerate tissues in cells. In vitro disease and physiological samples for drug discovery and screening. Her materials-focused approach provides the tools to perform many unique cell biology experiments and address major barriers in regenerative medicine.

Anseth’s tissue editing research has helped improve medical treatments for many parts of the body, from helping broken bones heal faster to replacing diseased heart valves. Anseth’s seminal research on how extracellular signals propagate through cells and her evidence of new mechanisms for biomolecular transport helped revolutionize the field.

She is widely recognized for combining modern molecular and cell biology with engineering and mathematics to create the next generation of biomaterials as tissue substitutes capable of restoring, maintaining or improving improve tissue function. Her discoveries have so far yielded about 18 patents.

More research is still needed to unravel all the mysteries of the human body. “We have regenerated skin, cartilage, blood vessels, and have also helped bones heal faster. But we still need more research. For example, why doesn’t the heart regenerate after a heart attack in the same way as skeletal muscle that we use to walk and exercise?”, Anseth asked.

She also made predictions about outstanding medical advances in the next 10 years. “We will find ways to intervene earlier to make muscles grow, heal cartilage or nerves… things that cannot be done right now.” One of her most ambitious goals is to combat age-related health problems.

Arriving in Hanoi in the early days of December, she said she “saw many opportunities for cooperation in the field of research”. She said breakthroughs in this area will benefit people around the world. “I am very excited about sharing with students, exchanging with ambassadors and ready to cooperate with the Vietnamese side,” she said.