President Barack Obama will personally bestow the nation’s highest honor on eight of America’s leading innovators, including doctors Jonathan Rothberg and Cato Laurencin.
Laurencin is an orthopedic surgeon and scientist, known as a pioneer in the fields of materials science and regenerative engineering. This award recognizes his work in musculoskeletal tissue regeneration.
"We’ve been trying to work toward the regeneration of tissues, not just the repair or even replacement of tissues," Laurencin said. They've been able to accomplish this in a number of different tissue areas. "And now it allows us to be able to think about other grand challenges to regenerate a knee in seven years and a whole limb by 2030."
The other Connecticut recipient, Rothberg, is an engineer, molecular biologist, and serial entrepreneur. He’s being recognized for his pioneering method of high-speed DNA sequencing.
"It helps us understand a person's genetic makeup, helps us improve crops, it helps us give the person the right drug if they have a cancer. So, it affects our ability to understand life," Rothberg said.
Rothberg is expanding on his idea of miniaturizing healthcare devices. His goal now is to put an ultrasound machine in the pocket of every doctor. It's technology that Rothberg said can also be used to perform non-invasive surgery.
The White House ceremony, which was canceled due to the recent snowstorm, will take place sometime this spring.
