DAVID W GRAINGER portrait
  • Distinguished Professor, Biomedical Engineering
  • Chair, Biomedical Engineering
  • Distinguished Professor, Molecular Pharmaceutics
  • Adjunct Professor of Orthopedics, Orthopaedic Surgery Operations
  • Adjunct Professor, Chemistry
  • Ole and Marty Jensen Endowed Professor, School Of Dentistry

Research Summary

Grainger's expertise lies in innovating materials in medicine, including applications to improving medical devices, medical diagnostic assays, drug delivery, surface coatings, surgical infection, and host-implant rejection. He uses diverse molecular/cellular methods, surface analytical tools, polymer chemistry, and microbiology. He has extensive experience with industrial product R&D in medical device and diagnostic technologies, and most recently with clinical grade stem cell therapies.

Selected Works

  • Moriarty TF, Harris LG, Mooney RA, Wenke JC, Riool M, Zaat SAJ, Moter A, Schaer TP, Khanna N, Kuehl R, Alt V, Montali A, Liu J, Zeiter S, Busscher HJ, Grainger DW & Richards RG (2019). Recommendations for design and conduct of preclinical in vivo studies of orthopedic device-related infection. Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society. Vol. 37, 271-287. Published, 10/01/2019.
  • “A 3-D organoid in vitro kidney model for in vivo nanomaterials toxicity assessment,” Biomaterials, 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2014.04.060, 2014.. Published, 02/05/2014.
  • F. Liu & D.W. Grainger (2017). Fluorinated Biomaterials. Vol. II, Comprehensive Biomaterials. Published, 06/02/2017.
  • “Biophysical aspects of nucleic acids on surfaces relevant to microarray performance, Biomaterials. Sci., (2014) 2(4), 436-471. DOI:10.1039/C3BM60181A. Published, 02/04/2014.
    http://dx/DOI.10.1039/C3BM60181A
  • H. Herd Gustafson, D. Holt-Casper, D.W. Grainger, H. Ghandehari,, “Nanoparticle Uptake: The Phagocyte Problem“, NanoToday, 2015 Aug; 10(4): 487-510. doi: 10.1016/j.nantod.2015.06.006; PMCID: PMC4666556; NIHMSID: NIHMS707252. Published, 03/2015.
    http://dx/doi.10.1016/j.nantod.2015.06.006
  • Falconer JL, Alt JA & Grainger DW (2018). Comparing ex vivo and in vitro translocation of silver nanoparticles and ions through human nasal epithelium. Biomaterials. Vol. 171, 97-106. Published, 03/01/2018.
  • M. Avula, D. Jones; A. Rao, D. McClain, L.D. McGill, D.W. Grainger; F. Solzbacher, “Local release of masitinib alters in vivo implantable continuous glucose sensor performance”, Biosensors Bioelectron. (2016) 77 149–156;DOI 10.1016/j.bios.2015.08.059. Published, 01/2016.
  • Diekjürgen D & Grainger DW (2018). Drug transporter expression profiling in a three-dimensional kidney proximal tubule in vitro nephrotoxicity model. Pflugers Archiv : European journal of physiology. Vol. 470, 1311-1323. Published, 11/01/2018.
  • “Cell-based drug testing; this world is not flat”, Adv. Drug Del. Rev, 69:vii-xi (2014) 10.1016/j.addr.2014.04.001.. Published, 01/01/2014.
  • Aamodt JM & Grainger DW (2016). Extracellular matrix-based biomaterial scaffolds and the host response. Biomaterials. Vol. 86, 68-82. Published, 03/01/2016.

Education

  • B.A., Engineering modified with Chemistry, Dartmouth College
  • Ph.D., Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Utah. Project: Heparinized Polymers as blood-compatible coatings
  • Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1988-89, Mainz, Germany

Biography

David W. Grainger is a University Distinguished Professor and Department Chair of Biomedical Engineering, and Distinguished Professor of Molecular Pharmaceutics at the University of Utah.  Grainger received his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Utah in 1987 developing new blood-compatible polymers.  He then received an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship to perform postdoctoral research under Prof. Helmut Ringsdorf, University of Mainz, Germany.  This training initiated over 35 years of experience with various aspects of developing “materials in medicine”.  Grainger’s research expertise is focused on improving implanted medical device performance, drug delivery of new therapeutic proteins, nucleic acids and live vaccines, cell therapies, nanomaterials interactions with human tissues, low-infection biomaterials, and innovating diagnostic devices based on DNA and protein biomarker capture.  Additionally, he is an expert in applications of surface analytical methods to biomedical interfaces, including analytical methods development for difficult organic surface patterns and nanomaterials, and also internationally recognized as an expert of perfluorinated thin films and biomaterials.

Grainger has published ~240 research papers and 31 book chapters on biomaterials innovation in medicine and biotechnology, and novel surface and diagnostics chemistry (H-index 71, 19,500 citations).  He has won research several awards, including the 2013 Excellence in Surface Science Award from the Surfaces in Biomaterials Foundation, the prestigious 2007 Clemson Award for Basic Research, Society for Biomaterials, and the 2005 American Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturer’s Association’s award for “Excellence in Pharmaceutics”.  He won a 2016 Fulbright Senior Scholar Award to New Zealand, a short-term visiting professorship in Tokyo from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science, and a CNRS Visiting Professorship in Paris, France.  He has also received several teaching awards for outstanding mentoring and teaching service, including the Daniels Fund Leadership in Ethics Education Award, University of Utah 2010 Distinguished Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Mentoring Award, the US West/Qwest Faculty Education Excellence Award (Colorado State University, 2000), Colorado State University College of Natural Sciences "Undergraduate Teacher of the Year", 2000, Colorado State University Alumni Association "Teacher of the Year", 2002, and several “Favorite Faculty” Awards from CSU Undergraduate Student Associations. In 2014, Grainger delivered the 58th Annual Edward T. Smith lecture at the University of Texas-Houston Department of Orthopedic Surgery, and also the “Dr. K.T. Dholakia” oration, “Challenges in translating antimicrobial technologies to orthopedic implants”, as part of the Bombay Orthopedic Society’s annual meeting in Mumbai, India. He provided the EU Madame Curie guest lectures at the Technical University-Aachen, Germany in 2009 and the 15th Annual Fritz Straumann lecture, AO Foundation, Davos, Switzerland, December, 2008.

Grainger is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventorsthe American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and Inducted Honorary Fellow, International Union of the Societies of Biomaterials Science and Engineering, 2008.  He has co-organized 32 international scientific symposia, including the prestigious Gordon Research Conference in Biomaterials, and has presented over 415 invited lectures and outreach workshops all over the world.  Grainger also regularly lectures in international graduate summer schools and EU courses. He has served as Chair of several prominent USA research review panels and completed a term on the National Institutes of Health NIBIB Advisory Council.  He serves on the editorial boards for 6 major journals, past handling editor for the journal, Biomaterials, for nearly two decades, and a special topics editor for Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews.  He is past-Chair and former member of Emerging Bioanalytical Technologies scientific review group (SRG) at NIH, past standing member on the NIH’s Surgery and Bioengineering SRG, and over 20 other NIH and NSF review panels, some as chair. Additionally, he served on the Scientific Advisory Boards of the Univ. Wisconsin-Madison NSF MRSEC on High Performance Nanostructured Materials, the AO Foundation, Davos, Switzerland, the EMPA, Switzerland, and the Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapy at the Charité Research Center, Berlin, Germany, and other past roles on SABs for Swiss Center for Materials Competence, Zurich, Waseda University ASMeW Research Center, Tokyo Japan, the NIH P41 National Surface Analysis Center, University of Washington (NESAC/Bio), and the NSF Harvard/New Mexico NSF PREM MRSEC.  Grainger consults widely for the biomedical device and pharmaceutical industry and has been a principal in 6 biotech start-ups, some with successful commercialization efforts with marketed products.  Grainger continues to emphasize translational approaches to clinical biomaterials, and validation of clinical effectiveness in implants and drug delivery systems for value-based medicine.  His leadership is sought in his official Scientific Advisory Board roles on several international medical technology research consortia and research foundations. 

He enjoys playing piano, fly fishing Western rivers and streams, riding bicycles, and ski mountaineering in his free time. 

Professional Experience

  • Chair and University Distinguished Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Utah, USA, 2017-present.
  • University Distinguished Professor, University of Utah, Utah, USA, 2008-present
  • Distinguished Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Utah, Utah, USA, 2006-present.
  • Ole and Marty Jensen Endowed Chair, School of Dentistry, Health Sciences, University of Utah, 2021-present
  • Adjunct Professor, School of Dentistry, University of Utah, 2020-present.
  • Adjunct Professor of Chemistry, University of Utah, 2007-present.
  • Adjunct Professor of Orthopaedics, University of Utah School of Medicine, 2007-present.
  • Invited Visiting Professor, Arab Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain, 2019-present.
  • Invited Visiting Professor, Keio University, School of Pharmacy, Tokyo, Japan, 2017-2020.
  • Past Inaugural George D. and Dolores Doré Eccles Presidential Endowed Chair in Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Health Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, 2006-2016.
  • Professor, Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO 1999-2006.
  • Associate Professor of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO 1994-1999.
  • President and Chief Scientific Officer, Gamma-A Technologies, Inc. (anti-microbial delivery biotech start-up), Herndon, VA, 1998-1999.
  • Invited Professor, CNRS Laboratoire Biomaterieux aux Polymeres, Univ. Paris XIII (Prof. V. Migonney), Sept.-Oct., 1997, April-May, 2003, July, 2004, Summer, 2005.
  • Invited Professor, JSPS Fellow, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan (Prof. Teruo Okano, host), Oct.-Dec., 1997.
  • Associate Professor of Chemistry :  Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Oregon Graduate Institute of Science & Technology, Portland, OR, August 1993-June 1994.
  • Assistant Professor of Chemistry :  Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Oregon Graduate Institute of Science & Technology, Portland, OR, November 1989-July 1993:  Graduate-level teaching and research.
  • Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Research Fellow :  Institute for Organic Chemistry, University of Mainz, Germany, April 1988-November 1989: Biomembrane surface recognition, protein-membrane interactions, polymerizable lipid mono- and bilayer membranes, properties of ultrathin films and molecular monolayers.  Prof. Helmut Ringsdorf, supervisor.
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow :  Center for Controlled Chemical Delivery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, September 1987-March 1988: Novel polymeric materials for surface-active, controlled-release and stimuli-sensitive pharmaceutical devices.  Prof. S. W. Kim, supervisor.
  • Doctoral Study :  Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, September 1983-September 1987:  Synthesis and characterization of multiblock amphiphilic block copolymers for use as model surfaces for investigating polymer interfacial interactions with blood.  Prof. S. W. Kim and Prof. Teruo Okano, supervisors.