Molly Stevens studies and creates new biomaterials that could be used to detect disease and repair bones and human tissue.

Why you should listen

At Imperial College London, Molly Stevens heads a highly multidisciplinary research group that designs bioactive materials for regenerative medicine and biosensing. It's fundamental science with an eye to practical applications as healthcare products.

Among the products from her lab: an engineered bone, cardiac tissue suitable for use in transplants, and disease-sensing nanoparticle aggregates that change color in the presence of even tiny quantities of cancer-related enzymes, making early sensing possible. As Stevens told The Lancet: "It's right down at the nanoscience level. It's really exciting stuff, but it actually results in something very tangibly useful."

What others say

“The technology has obvious applications for diseases like cancer. But Stevens is also upbeat about the potential of harnessing this type of innovation for global health.” — David Holmes, The Lancet

Molly Stevens’ TED talk

More news and ideas from Molly Stevens

Live from TEDGlobal

How to regenerate bone: Molly Stevens at TEDGlobal 2013

June 12, 2013

Molly Stevens would like to introduce you to the first blue tooth. No literally, a blue tooth made out of shell. In the days of the ancient Mayans, when a tooth was lost, it would be replaced with bit of blue shell. The chemistry and architecture of this shell worked beautifully as a tooth replacement, […]

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Live from TEDGlobal

Regeneration: The speakers in Session 7 at TEDGlobal 2013

June 12, 2013

Session 7, “Regeneration,” couldn’t come at a better time; it’s the end of the second day of TEDGlobal 2013, and we could all use a little repair and restoration. In this session, four scientists and researchers look closely at the ways in which the body breaks down — and how we can rebuild them. Here […]

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