Dr. Laura Niklason honored by University of Illinois for her ‘pioneering work’

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign selected Dr. Laura Niklason to receive a LAS Alumni Achievement Award for “her pioneering work in biomedical engineering.”

Niklason, a 1983 graduate of the university with degrees in physics and biophysics, will receive her award on Friday, Oct. 28.

At Yale, Niklason is the Nicholas Greene Professor of Anesthesiology and Biomedical Engineering. She is an internationally recognized researcher in cardiovascular tissue engineering. In her work with engineered arteries, she is conducting preclinical animal studies to validate the method for generating engineered tissues that are available “off the shelf.” Her research on vascular grafts focuses on immune/inflammatory response minimization to these off-the-shelf tissues, and on the long-term function of the grafts in the arterial circulation. In addition, Niklason is developing tissue-engineering approaches to generating vascularized cardiac muscle, as well as vascularized lung tissue. She is also actively researching vascular remodeling that is associated with various disease states, including atherosclerosis and arterial vasospasm.

In 2014, Niklason was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors. In 2015, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, which recognizes professionals who have made outstanding contributions in fields such as the medical sciences health care, and public health, and who have demonstrated a commitment to volunteer service.