Nina Tandon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nina Tandon
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Tandon ain 2014
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Nina Marie Tandon
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| Title | CEO of EpiBone |
Nina Tandon is an American scientist who works with biology and engineering. She is the CEO and co-founder of a company called EpiBone. She also teaches electrical engineering at Cooper Union and works with stem cells at Columbia University. Nina has given talks at TED, sharing her amazing ideas.
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About Nina Tandon
Nina Tandon grew up on Roosevelt Island in New York City. She has one brother and two sisters. When she was a child, Nina became interested in science. This happened because her siblings had eye problems. Her family encouraged all the children to try science experiments. Nina's brother and sisters also became scientists. As a kid, she loved taking apart TVs and building big towers with toys. She also enjoyed playing with static electricity and doing experiments for school science fairs. Nina liked solving puzzles, acting in plays, writing poetry, and sewing.
Nina's Education
Nina Tandon went to college at Cooper Union. She earned a degree in Electrical Engineering in 2007. While studying there, she built a musical instrument. It used the body's natural electrical waves to make music.
From 2003 to 2004, Nina studied in Italy at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. She had a special scholarship called a Fulbright scholarship. There, she worked on a project called LibraNose. This project tried to find out if a device could "smell" cancer in a person's breath.
In 2006, she got another degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT. She then went to Columbia University. In 2009, she earned her PhD in Biomedical Engineering. Her studies focused on growing heart tissue. At Columbia, she started creating human tissues in the lab. She also earned a business degree (MBA) from Columbia in 2012. She wanted to learn how to turn her science ideas into real-world solutions.
Nina's Career
As a biomedical engineer, Nina Tandon worked at Columbia University. She used electricity to help cells grow and become stronger. She has even grown cells on rat hearts that could beat! Her big goal is to find a way for scientists to grow entire human organs.
EpiBone: Growing New Bones
Nina Tandon is the CEO and co-founder of a company called EpiBone. She started the company with Sarindr Bhumiratana. They met while studying for their PhDs. EpiBone's goal is to use amazing research to fix bones.
The Problem with Bone Surgery
Today, many bone surgeries are done in the United States. But these surgeries can be difficult. Doctors often have to take a piece of bone from one part of the patient's body. Then, they put that bone into the area that needs fixing. This can be very painful for the patient. There are also risks like infection or the body rejecting the new bone.
EpiBone's Solution
EpiBone is working on a new solution. They want to grow a custom human bone in a lab. They would use the patient's own cells to do this. Nina explained that an EpiBone graft would fit the patient perfectly. Also, because it uses real cells, it could continue to grow with the patient. Nina believes the human body is like a "renewable resource" of stem cells. These cells can help grow new body parts when needed.
EpiBone uses special technology called a "bioreactor." This machine copies the conditions inside the human body. It helps the bone grow in a way that makes the cells survive and develop well. The team first creates a "scaffold," which is like a shape for the new bone. Then, they add human bone cells to this scaffold. In about three weeks, the new bone is ready to be put into the patient. Nina's invention is important because it offers a safer way to fix bones. It also helps the field of regenerative medicine, which focuses on growing new tissues.
EpiBone Today
In 2023, EpiBone received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This means they can start testing their lab-grown bones in humans. This is a big step! It will help EpiBone see how well their new bones work in real patients. This is EpiBone's second product to be tested in people. Their first study, which used a patient's own stem cells to grow bone grafts, is now finishing.
Other Interests
Besides her science work, Nina Tandon has many other hobbies. She enjoys metalworking, running marathons, and doing yoga. She first worked for a phone company, helping customers. Later, she developed communication software at Avaya Labs.
Her family inspired her to work in medicine. Her brother has an eye disease that makes it hard for him to see clearly. Both of her sisters have trouble seeing colors. Nina's mother also encouraged her interest in science from a young age.
Nina is also a TED Senior Fellow and has given several talks. She believes that biology can be a tool for everyone, not just scientists. She thinks biology can help people in art, sustainability, architecture, and even clothing design. She wants people to see biology as a partner for new ideas.
She has taught electrical engineering classes at Cooper Union. Before that, she worked as a researcher at Columbia University's Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering Laboratory.
Awards and Recognition
Nina Tandon has received many honors for her work:
- In 2011, she was named a TED Fellow.
- In 2012, she became a senior TED Fellow.
- Fast Company magazine named her one of the Most Creative People of 2012.
- In 2013, she received a Women on Top Award from Marie Claire magazine.
- She was named an innovation fellow by Wired magazine.
- Foreign Policy magazine called her a 2015 Global Thinker.
- L'Oréal Paris honored her as one of its Women of Worth in science and innovation.
- Crains New York included her in its "40 Under 40 Class of 2015."
