Thomas W. Gilbert, PhD

Dr. Thomas Gilbert is the Vice President, Research & Development, at Miromatrix Medical, Eden Prairie, MN.  He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Bioengineering, at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Dr. Gilbert received his BS, Materials Science and Engineering, in 1998 from Carnegie Mellon University.  In 2006, he received his PhD, Bioengineering, from the University of Pittsburgh.  He served on the faculty of the Departments of Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Bioengineering and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh from 2006 until 2012.  In 2012, Dr. Gilbert then transitioned to industry as the Vice President, Research & Development at ACell, Inc., Columbia, MD, and was quickly promoted to Chief Science Officer with additional strategic leadership responsibility for Clinical Research, Medical Affairs, and Quality.  Dr. Gilbert led the product development continuum from basic science through product development and post-market clinical evaluation for ACell’s patented urinary bladder matrix technology.  In 2019, Dr. Gilbert began leading Miromatrix Medical’s efforts to develop bioengineered livers and kidneys based upon patented perfusion decellularization-recellularization technology. Dr. Gilbert’s major research interests include: processing of extracellular matrix scaffolds and the effect on host response; in situ tissue remodeling of extracellular matrix scaffolds to enable site-appropriate tissue development; development of engineered organs using perfusion decellularization-recellularization of intact porcine organs; and application of extracellular matrix scaffolds to tissue engineering/regenerative medicine of the liver, kidneys, trachea, lung, heart, skin, and connective tissues. Dr. Gilbert is a member of the Tissue Engineering Regenerative Medicine International Society, American Society of Nephrology, and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.  He currently serves on the Quality Working Group for the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute.  In 2008 and 2016, Dr. Gilbert received Innovator Awards from the University of Pittsburgh, and in 2019 was named the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Swanson School of Engineering – Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh.  He is an inventor on 4 patents granted in the US related to applications and processing of extracellular matrix scaffolds. View a list of Dr. Gilbert’s publications here.