Christine E. Schmidt, Ph.D., known for her prominent contributions to biomaterials science and cellular/tissue engineering, has been chosen as a 2020 inductee into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame.
Schmidt, professor, J. Crayton Pruitt Family Chair & BME Department Chair, is one of seven inventors who will be inducted in September at an annual ceremony in Tampa.
Nominees for the hall must have at least one U.S. patent and a connection to Florida, Schmidt has 19. Schmidt is the creator of the Avance® Nerve Graft that has improved the lives of numerous patients suffering from peripheral nerve damage.
Schmidt’s research is focused on developing new biomaterials and biomaterial composites (e.g., natural material scaffolds, processed tissues, electronic polymer composites) that can be used to physically guide and stimulate regenerating nerves and the healing of other tissues. Her research is also the foundation for the start-up company, Alafair Biosciences, in Austin Texas, that focuses on internal wound care management. Alafair’s first clinical product, VersaWrap Tendon Protector, was launched in December 2017 and has already been used in over 500 patients. Schmidt has additional patents licensed to companies such as Smith and Nephew and Siluria Technologies, Inc., and many additional invention disclosures and pending patents.
Honorees are selected annually through a nomination process open to all inventors in the state of Florida. The nominations are reviewed by a Selection Committee comprising distinguished experts in the relevant fields of innovation. Nominees elected to the Hall of Fame are inducted at an annual ceremony, where their achievements are honored and their influence on society acknowledged and celebrated.
For more information on the Hall of Fame and the complete list of inductees, visit floridainvents.org.
Florida Inventors Hall of Fame:
We welcome the 2020 Inductees of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame
UF Innovate: