Noshir A. Langrana

Professor Langrana is a leading Biomedical Engineering researcher with expertise in biomechanics and biomaterials. He continues to successfully build teams to perform clinically relevant research.

• In past ~40 years, he has successfully conducted research projects on spinal fusion, development of spinal disc prosthesis and testing spinal implants. The results are extensively published and presented at national conferences in Bioengineering and spine. The current team is focused on spinal cord injuries projects.
• Over the past ten years, his group has focused our attention on the design and development of novel dynamic DNA crosslinked hydrogels. It has proved that gel stiffness can be altered dynamically “on-the-fly”. He has shown that Fibroblasts and neurons respond to alterations in substrate rigidity, and the responses vary depending on hydrogel stiffness, cell type, and cell property. 
• Recently, his group has developed polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) films with negative surface charge density. Polyelectrolyte complexes primarily consist of at least two oppositely charged polymers. Mixing of these polymers under aqueous conditions leads to the formation of PEC. By varying the proportion of PEC complex, films with varying surface charges has been created. Polymers with negatively charged functional groups such as carboxylate and sulfate have shown inhibitory effect on adhesions of macrophages, lymphocytes, platelets and fibroblasts.  The results on anti-adhesive properties are very encouraging.

HONORS, AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
•    Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers
•    Fellow of American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
•    Mary W. Raisler Distinguished Teaching Chair Professor, (Inaugural Awardee)
•    HR Lissner Medal Award, ASME Bioengineering Division, June 2008
•    Teacher-Scholar Award, Rutgers the state University of New Jersey, 2008

PROFESSIONAL/EDITORIAL ACTIVITIES
•    Associate Editor, TSJ (The Spine Journal) July 2000 - present
•    Associate Editor, SPINE, 1993 – present
•    Associate Editor, JBME January 2006 to 2011
 

•    American Society of Mechanical Engineers
•    International Society of the Study for the Lumbar Spine
•    Orthopaedic Research Society
•    Biomedical Engineering Society

Professional Engineer: State of New Jersey, No. 24GE02551600

•    Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Cornell University, 1975
•    M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Cornell University, 1971
•    B.E., University of Bombay, India (with honors), 1968