Guan named Earl E. and Myrtle E. Walker Professor of Engineering
Jianjun Guan is known for his work in biomaterials and regenerative medicine
Jianjun Guan, an internationally recognized expert in biomaterials and tissue engineering, has been named the Earl E. and Myrtle E. Walker Professor of Engineering.
A faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science at Washington University in St. Louis since 2018, Guan is widely known for his innovations in regenerative medicine, biomaterials, and drug delivery. His research spans cardiovascular and musculoskeletal tissue regeneration, with a focus on functional biomaterials and microenvironments for cell and drug delivery; biomaterials for noninvasive, real-time biosensing and imaging; and targeted therapies using nanoparticles and engineered extracellular vesicles.
Supported rigorously by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Guan’s team has pioneered the development of stimuli-responsive, fast-gelation, injectable hydrogels for cell and drug delivery in mechanically active tissues; invented novel scaffold fabrication techniques that enable rapid incorporation of high-density cells and drug-loaded microspheres; created microenvironments that enhance cell survival, paracrine signaling, and differentiation under ischemic conditions; and advanced targeted therapies using drug-releasing nanoparticles and microRNA-containing extracellular vesicles for cardiovascular repair and regeneration. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and holds an h-index of 55.
“Jianjun Guan’s research demonstrates what’s possible at the intersection of advanced engineering and medicine,” said Aaron F. Bobick, dean of the McKelvey School of Engineering and the James M. McKelvey Professor. “His multidisciplinary work in regenerative medicine and biomaterials opens the door to customized treatments, particularly for patients who have suffered heart attacks and those with complications arising from diabetes. Jianjun’s research stands to improve countless lives.”
Guan earned a doctorate in 2000 at Zhejiang University. Prior to joining the WashU faculty in August 2018, Guan was a professor of materials science and engineering at Ohio State University. He joined Ohio State in 2007 after serving as a research assistant professor at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
At WashU, Guan is affiliated with the Department of Biomedical Engineering. the Center for Cardiovascular Research, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Musculoskeletal Research Center and Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences. He is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, has received multiple honors, and has served as a standing member of the NIH Biomaterials and Biointerfaces study section (2020-24), as well as a reviewer for numerous federal and international funding agencies. He is also a panelist for national workshops and serves as associate editor of Smart Materials in Medicine.
About the Earl E. and Myrtle E. Walker Professorship in Engineering
A gift from St. Louis industrialists Earl and Myrtle Walker to Washington University established the Walker professorship in engineering in 1998. Mr. Walker was chief executive officer and Mrs. Walker was vice president of Carr Lane Manufacturing Co., a major supplier of tooling components, modular fixturing, drill jig bushings and related workholding products for all types of industries. Their preference was that the professorship be awarded in mechanical engineering.
As a welder at McDonnell Aircraft Co. in the early 1950s, Mr. Walker realized there was a market for tools to hold airplane parts as they were being fabricated. He began making these tools out of his home in Kirkwood, and founded Carr Lane Manufacturing Co. in 1952 with Mrs. Walker, who is credited with using her artistic talent to draw items for the company’s first catalog.
Mr. Walker was a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) for more than 40 years, and he was inducted into the organization’s College of Fellows in 1993. He served on SME’s international board of directors and was president of the SME Education Foundation for two years. SME awarded him its Businessman of the Year Award; its Eli Whitney Productivity Award; and its highest honor, the Management Achievement Award.
The Walkers were generous supporters of educational, civic and charitable organizations in the St. Louis region. They participated in the COE (Cooperative Education) Program with the Kirkwood, Maplewood-Richmond Heights and Webster Groves school districts. In 1988, they created an endowed scholarship fund at the University of Texas, Austin, and in the early 1990s created an SME engineering scholarship. In 2001, the Myrtle Agnew Walker Art Grant was established at Kirkwood High School and the Earl E. and Myrtle E. Walker Scholarship was established in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at WashU. The couple’s ties to the Fox School also extend to Earl E. and Myrtle E. Walker Hall, which was named in their honor.
The Walkers also received numerous honors and awards for their professional and philanthropic achievements. In 1990, they were named Outstanding Philanthropists by the St. Louis Chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives. In 1999, they received the Robert S. Brookings Award for exemplifying the alliance between Washington University and its community. Mr. Walker was named 1999-2000 Businessperson of the Year by the Kirkwood Chamber of Commerce, and in 2002, he was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree from WashU.
Mr. Walker died in 2011, and Mrs. Walker died in 2016.