BioE Graduate Seminars

Event Introduction

Innovation at the Intersection of Nanoengineering and Medicine

About the speaker

Dr. Guillermo Ulises Ruiz-Esparza is a Medical Doctor, BioNanotechnologist and Entrepreneur. As a Physician Scientist his research is mainly  focused in the development of Molecular NanoSystems at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and at the Division of Engineering in Medicine part of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

He received his MD and PhD in Biotechnology and Nanotechnology from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education-Houston Methodist Hospital Joint MD/PhD Program, later on he pursued his Postdoctoral training in Biodesign as well as in Smart Bio and Nanomaterials at Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is a pioneer in the field of cardiovascular nanomedicine, as his work was the first to achieve intravascular and site-specific nanoparticle-based delivery to a failing heart, enabling the current development of new nanotechnologies for delivering genetic material and drugs for the treatment of heart failure.

He has also developed pioneering nanotechnology platforms such as nanostructured hydrogels, nanosensing technologies for diagnostics, tissue engineering nanoconstructs and nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems for spatiotemporal and sequential release of dual therapeutic agents within the same nanosystem as published in the cover of the prestigious scientific journal "Advanced Functional Materials". As an example of the quality of his work, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – Technology Review recognized him with the prestigious TR35 award as one of the top innovators under the age of 35, and more recently, he received the Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare Award as well as the Future of Health Technology Award at the MIT Media Lab. He has been named one of the 30 most influential Latino leaders under the age of 30 by El Mundo Boston and one of the most promising Mexican individuals under the age of 40 by CNN Expansion. Ciudad de las Ideas in association with Singularity University from Silicon Valley named him "Gifted Citizen", as one of the emerging global innovators with projects aimed to impact more than 10 million people in the next years.

Recently, he was the recipient of the National Youth Award in Science and Technology bestowed by the President of Mexico, the highest honor and state decoration that the Mexican government can bestow on young physicians and researchers that live in Mexico or abroad. He has been distinguished as Fellow and Member of the Royal Society of Arts in United Kingdom, one of the oldest and most prestigious and exclusive academic royal societies in the world, and has met with the Prince Charles of Wales to discuss about medical innovation and social entrepreneurship.

At his young age, Guillermo has numerous publications in high impact scientific journals such as "Science Translational Medicine", "Advanced Materials", "Advanced Functional Materials", "European Journal of Heart Failure", "Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports", to name a few, and the quality of his nanotechnology innovations has been recognized with several journal covers and featured in thousands of media coverages worldwide. His pioneering work has been presented in some of the most prestigious forums and congresses around the world, such as the American College of Cardiology Annual Meeting, the European Society of Cardiology, the World Congress of Acute Heart Failure, Heart Failure Society of America, Harvard University, EmTech by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – Technology Review, Future Health Technology Annual Conference at MIT Media Lab and others.

As an entrepreneur, Guillermo has co-founded several nanotechnology companies and successfully raised several rounds of investment. Guillermo is also involved in social causes as he has co founded several foundations in the areas of gender equality, economic empowerment and education, and has received several awards in Social Leadership by Monterrey Institute of Technology for the creation of educational programs in science and technology for underserved communities in Mexico. His main interests are innovation, medicine, education, technology, science, entrepreneurship, public health policy and social causes.