The Nanomedicine Translational Think Tank is a collaboration among nanomedicine researchers working in academic institutions and small-medium businesses in 5 countries.

Director

Rutledge Ellis-Behnke is the Director of the Nanomedicine Translational Think Tank at the Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg in Germany.

    In addition, he holds affiliate faculty positions at MIT, as well as Wake Forest and University of South Florida medical schools.

    Previously he was Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, as well as Associate Director of the Technology Transfer Office.

    Ellis-Behnke is redefining tissue engineering for nanomedicine.  His research is focused on reconnecting the disconnected parts of the brain—with the goal of being able to provide a prescription to restore quality of life after brain or spinal cord trauma, or stroke. In animals he was the first to repair the brain showing reversal of blindness; to stop bleeding in less than 15 seconds without clotting; to preserve stem cells; and to immobilize prostate cancer stem cells.

    Ellis-Behnke is an advisor to, and cofounder of, Arch Therapeutics. He has multiple worldwide patent applications and his “Nano Neuro Knitting” and “Immediate Hemostasis” technologies have each been licensed to companies for translation to humans. Technology Review named his “Nanohealing” discoveries one of the “Top 10 Emerging Technologies.”

    Ellis-Behnke received a PhD from MIT in Neuroscience; a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers University and graduated from Harvard Business School’s Advanced Manager’s Program (AMP). 

    Prior to returning to school to pursue his PhD, Ellis-Behnke held various management positions including Senior Vice President of Huntingdon, a public company for pharmaceutical testing and consulting services; and in 1995 was co-founder/CEO of one of the first internet companies in the world to do online commerce.

    In addition to his work in neuroscience and nanomedicine, Ellis-Behnke introduced the TabletPC to MIT in 2001 and the University of Hong Kong in 2005, as part of the migration to the paperless classroom to deliver all course material and texts to the students digitally. At both MIT and the University of Hong Kong the students learned 25% more material; and the bottom 25% of the class improved by one letter grade.

    Ellis-Behnke is the Associate Editor for Neurology on the journal Nanomedicine and is on the Editorial Board of Nanomedicine & Biotherapeutic Discovery. He is a founding board member of the International Society of Nanomedicine; and is on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Glaucoma Foundation.