Biomedical engineer wins grant to grow cartilage for facial reconstruction

Millions of people worldwide suffer from facial damage due to cancer, burns or genetics. Wendy Brown, a postdoctoral scholar in biomedical engineering at UC Irvine, was named a 2020 Women in Science Fellow by L’Oréal USA for her efforts to heal them.

Brown received a $60,000 grant to continue her research into engineering cartilage for facial reconstruction. She is working to grow cartilage in various anatomical shapes and sizes for surgical implantation.

Since 2003, L’Oréal USA has awarded $4 million in grants to 80 female scientists. Internationally, L’Oréal-UNESCO has recognized more than 3,400 women scientists from more than 116 countries.

– Donna Scaramastra Gorman, The Engineering 100