Cardiovascular Explants: Biofunctionality, Biodurability and Biocompatibility

Robert Guidoin PhD is professor of surgery (biomaterials) at Université Laval, Québec, QC (Canada). He studied chemistry at the University of Nantes, France, from 1967-1970. After spending a post-doctoral year at the FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, he came to Laval University in 1971 to investigate the blood compatibility of medical devices, such as membrane oxygenators and dialyzers. Further to a specific training in bioengineering at Strathclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland, he was appointed assistant professor of surgery (biomaterials) at Laval University in 1976 before becoming a full professor in 1986. He was appointed as a member of the International College of Fellows of Biomaterials Science and Engineering in 1996, and Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 1998. He was a member of the Sciences Council of Canada (1987-1992). He became Honorary Faculty at Chongqing University, China, the Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria, the University of Sichuan, China, and the Donghua University, China, in 1994, 2001, 2010, and 2013, respectively. He became International Honorary Faculty of the Society of Endovascular and Chinese Medical Doctor Association in 2015. He entered the Canadian Who is Who in 1992. He has made important contributions in the field of vascular and endovascular grafts, heart valves, mechanical hearts, membrane oxygenators, auditor ossicles, breast implants and intra-uterine devices. He has trained many students (35 MSc, 21 PhD, 11 post-doc), and 12 visiting professors on sabbatical leave at his research facilities. During the last decade, he has actively participated in the 111 Program of the Chinese Ministry of Education at Donghua University, Shanghai, China. He was the founder and the first scientific director of the Quebec Biomaterials Institute (1992-2000). He has published more than 300 scientific papers, 24 book chapters, 3 books as co-editor, and has presented his research at numerous meetings worldwide. Robert Guidoin is an internationally leading expert in cardiovascular devices, especially those used for percutaneous techniques.

Lu Wang graduated with BSc and MSc in textile engineering from Donghua University, Shanghai, China, and was awarded a Ph.D. in biomedical textile at ENSITM of University of Haute-Alsace, Mulhouse, France. She has been serving as a professor in Textiles Engineering and Biomedical Textiles at Donghua University since 2003. She is currently director of Key Laboratory of Textile Science & Technology of Ministry of Education, China. Her main research interests include functional design, forming and evaluation of biomedical textiles (such as vascular prosthesis, hernia mesh, suture, functional dressing, degradable ureteral stent, etc.). Lu Wang has been responsible of a number of research projects, including “111 project (BP0719035)” of Ministry of Education of China, The National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC1106201), National Natural Science Foundation of China, Science & Technology Commission project of Shanghai Municipality, as well as dozens of industrial co-projects. She also has been involved in several international cooperation projects, including EU Asia-link project, Australia CAWIN project, American NSF project (CTS0424716). She has published 132 Chinese invention patents (108 awarded), more than 250 scientific papers as well as 11 books as a co-editor and/or contributing author. She has gotten 7 Science and Technology Progress Prizes and 10 Education Prizes awarded by provincial government or Chinese Textile Industry Federation.

Ze Zhang received his B.Eng. and M.Eng. in 1982 and 1984 from Chengdu University of Science & Technology (now Sichuan University) and then a PhD degree in Experimental Medicine from Université Laval in 1993. After a postdoctoral training in Japan, he returned to the Saint-François d’Assise Hospital Research Center in Quebec City in 1995 and later became a professor in the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine at Université Laval, and a researcher in the Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec – Université Laval. His research interests include electrically conductive biomaterials, polymeric materials in cardiovascular implants, cellular behaviors in the electrical field, in vitro and in vivo evaluation of biomaterials, etc. Zhang’s research has been funded by The Whitaker Foundation, le Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and industrial partners. He has more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications, co-edited one book entitled “Conductive Polymers: Electrical Interactions in Cell Biology and Medicine” and co-authored several book chapters. He served as the expert in the 111 Project on Biomedical Textile Materials Science and Technology at Donghua University and was a visiting professor at Sichuan and Beihang Universities. He supervised numerous PhD and Master students, post-doctoral and visiting researchers. Ze Zhang has participated in multiple international, national, and provincial grant evaluation committees and has been the reviewer for many scientific journals.