Clinician-scientist Jill Helms is an expert on healing. Until about age 30, people heal easily, she says, but later on, not so well. Regenerative medicine suggests avenues for improvement, she promises. Her research focuses on understanding the physical and molecular processes of healing to design better therapies. One approach awakens “sleeper” stem cells to aid healing, a new drug in trial regenerates bone, and another avenue targets infections that appear near medical devices using gum-like tissues that create sealing barriers. In many ways, nature remains our best model for healing, Helms tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your question. You can send questions to
[email protected] Reference Links:Stanford Profile: Jill HelmsConnect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / FacebookChapters:(00:00:00) IntroductionRuss Altman introduces guest Jill Helms, a professor of surgery at Stanford University.(00:03:42) Why Study Wound HealingJill shares what led her to explore how the body repairs itself after injury.(00:04:23) How Healing WorksExplanation of physical signals, stem cells, and the stages of tissue repair.(00:07:23) Healing Declines with AgeHow healing quality and speed drop significantly after age thirty.(00:10:48) Physical vs. Biological SignalsThe biological and physical signals that work together to guide healing.(00:13:21) Regenerative MedicineTherapies designed to restore healing capacity and accelerate repair.(00:16:55) Infection and ImplantsChallenges of preventing infections around skin penetrating medical devices.(00:21:54) Nature’s BlueprintUsing biological models to inspire self-renewing wound interfaces.(00:26:19) Biomimicry and Evolutionary InsightWhat scientists are learning from animals to inform human tissue repair.(00:30:51) Future In a MinuteRapid-fire Q&A: scientific curiosity, young researchers, and supportive environments.(00:33:04) Conclusion
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