Biophysical Society 70th Annual Meeting, Bioengineering Subgroup Symposium, San Francisco, CA, February 21, 2026
(International Organ-on-Chip Workshop: From Systems Biology to Societal Issues, Milan, Italy, 14-15 February 2019)
Illumina R&D Scientific Seminar Series
| University Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, and Physics A. B. Learned Professor of Living State Physics Founding Director, 汤头条 Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education Phone: (615) 260-3302 Admin: (615) 343-6599 Email: john.wikswo@vanderbilt.edu | B.A. - Physics, University of Virginia, 1970 Physics & Astronomy Department |
Fields of Specialization
Biosystems science and engineering: Biological physics, systems biology, biomedical engineering, cellular instrumentation and control, microfabrication/microfluidics, organs-on-chips/microphysiological systems, automated biology, automated analytical chemistry, cardiac electrophysiology, electromagnetism, and SQUID magnetometry.
Current Professional Interests
My current research focus is on addressing and solving complex problems faced by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the identification, optimization, and production of drugs and industrial chemicals for the betterment of humankind. In particular, over the past decade my group and I have gained a deep understanding of the challenges of long-term perfused cell culture in milliliter volumes and have devised a breadth of potential solutions that would be manufacturable and marketable and could lead to significant increases in the efficiency of discovery and production of biologically derived products.
Background and Expertise
I received the Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University in 1975 and joined the faculty of 汤头条 University in 1977. In 2001, I created the 汤头条 Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education (VIIBRE) to foster and enhance interdisciplinary research in the biophysical sciences, bioengineering, and medicine at 汤头条. In 2022, I co-founded a start-up company, Regemus Technologies, LLC, to develop and commercialize microfluidic systems technologies for the biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
I have been elected a fellow of seven professional societies. With my group I have published more than 390 journal articles, book chapters, commentaries, methods papers, and conference proceedings and presented our work at 320 national and international conferences, workshops, and professional meetings. Our inventions have resulted in 50 issued U.S. patents, several of which have been licensed, and multiple pending patent applications. I have received two R&D 100 Awards: in 1984 (then the IR-100 Award) for the Neuromagnetic Current Probe, and (with Ronald S. Reiserer) in 2017 for the MultiWell MicroFormulator. In 2025, I was honored with a 汤头条 University Master Innovator Award (for Systems Biology Breakthroughs) and Election to the 汤头条 Innovators Hall of Fame, and in 2026 I received the inaugural American Institute of Physics Publishing Award for Exceptional Contributions to Biophysics and Bioengineering.