On November 7, I participated in this year’s Connecticut Stem Cell Retreat hosted by the UConn Stem Cell Institute. My speech, “Delivery for the Regeneration of Musculoskeletal Tissues: The Regenerative Engineering Approach,” highlighted the future of regenerative engineering in stem cell research. I discussed two of our latest inventions: a bioengineered matrix for the regeneration of torn anterior cruciate ligaments, and a novel nanofiber-based scaffold for rotator cuff repair. Also during my talk, I introduced the idea of “convergence” which represents how biomedical research will be conducted in the future. I firmly believe areas such as regenerative engineering are good examples of convergence because they combine research in the life sciences, engineering, and physical sciences.

The Institute for Regenerative Engineering will launch Natural and Synthetic Biomedical Polymers in February, 2014. Published by Elsevier Science, this textbook summarizes the main advances in biopolymer development in the last decade. We believe it will be extremely useful for researchers in formulating their polymers with desirable physical, chemical, biological, biomechanical, and degradation properties for specific, targeted biomedical applications. I thank all the authors for their outstanding contributions. I also thank co-editors Drs. Sangamesh Kumbar and Meng Deng for all their time and effort in coordinating this.