Putting the patient first: New modalities of manufacturing for cell therapy through real-time process changes

Chelsea C. Whiteholds the Schneider National Chair of Transportation and Logistics at theGeorgia Institute of Technology.  His research interests include stochasticoptimization with application to the design and operation of resilient andcompetitive manufacturing supply chains. An application area of most recent interest is autologous and allogeneiccell therapy manufacturing, based on real-time therapy and patient data and howit forms the basis for patient priority ranking and capacity planning &reagent replenishment policy determination.

Ben Wangis the Eugene C. Gwaltney Jr. Chair in Manufacturing Systems and Professor inthe Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering, and Professor inthe School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech. In addition,Wang serves as the Executive Director of the Georgia Tech ManufacturingInstitute. Wang is a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, theSociety of Manufacturing Engineers and the Society for the Advancement ofMaterial and Process Engineering.

Wang's professional focus is onstrengthening manufacturing competitiveness through technology, infrastructure,workforce, and policy. He served as Vice Chair (2016–2017) and Chair(2017–2019) of the National Materials and Manufacturing Board, NationalAcademies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM). Under his leadership,the Board oversaw several landmark studies including A Vision for Center-BasedEngineering Research (a blueprint for the current NSF Generation 4 EngineeringResearch Centers) https://www.nap.edu/read/24767/chapter/1, Frontiers of Materials Research: A DecadalSurvey https://www.nap.edu/read/25244/chapter/1, and Strategic Long-Term Participation byDOD in Its Manufacturing USA Institutes https://www.nap.edu/read/25417/chapter/1.

His research lies at the nexus of advancedmanufacturing, innovative materials, and data analytics and is widelyacknowledged as a pioneer in nanomaterials science and engineering. Creativityand innovation are central to Wang’s R&D endeavors. He has a portfolio ofissued and applied-for patents that now exceeds 35, and 15 of which have beenlicensed or in discussion for commercialization. Wang is a technical advisor toWEAV3D, an additive manufacturing startup.

Dr. Kan Wang received the B.S. degree in theoretical and applied mechanics from Peking University, Beijing, China, in 2005, the M.S. degree inaircraft design from Beihang University, Beijing, in 2007, and the Ph.D. degree in industrial and manufacturing engineering from Florida State University, Tallahassee,FL, USA, in 2013. He is currently a Senior Research Engineer with the GeorgiaTech Manufacturing Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA,USA. His current research interests include cell manufacturing, tissue engineering, bio manufacturing supply chain, additive manufacturing, and printed electronics technologies.