Joanna Xylas, PhD, is a biomedical engineer and entrepreneur working at the intersection of biomaterials, manufacturing, and clinical translation. She is a Cofounder and CEO of Materialize Bio, an NSF-backed, Tufts University spinout developing high-performance implants from natural biopolymers using its proprietary GLEN 3D™ manufacturing platform.
Her career has focused on advancing novel technologies into human use. She has led clinical and commercialization strategy for implantable and bio-integrative platforms at companies including Brixton Biosciences and TISSIUM, contributing to the translation of first-in-class, 3D-printed and biosynthetic implants into first-in-human studies.
Through this work, Dr. Xylas has built deep experience bridging engineering, biology, and surgery by partnering with surgeons, shaping clinical strategy, and driving adoption of emerging technologies. She holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Tufts University and is committed to bringing forward technologies that meaningfully improve patient care. Joanna will be speaking at the upcoming conference focusing on bioprinted implants.
When was the first encounter you had with 3D printing?
Joanna: My first exposure to 3D printing was during my time at Conformis, where we were pioneering patient-specific implants in orthopedics. That was an early wave of 3D printing in surgery focused on personalization, using advanced imaging and manufacturing to better guide procedures and match patient anatomy, but still largely relying on traditional materials.
At the same time, I was deeply focused on tissue response to implant materials, particularly biomaterials, and how they behaved differently from synthetics once inside the body. What was interesting was that these two worlds were evolving in parallel. Around 2018, I started to see a shift. Technologies like FRESH printing were emerging to address challenges in collagen bioprinting, and for the first time, it felt like we were not just printing plastic shapes but beginning to work with true biological materials.
The real turning point for me was joining TISSIUM, a spinout from the Langer labs, where we used DLP-based manufacturing to create surgical devices from a light-activated biopolymer. That was the moment it all came together – 3D implantable biomaterials, manufacturing, and clinical applications.
And what’s remarkable is how quickly this has all progressed. Today, my six-year-old is designing parts in CAD and printing them at home on his own 3D printer – everything from fixing broken toys to making gifts. It’s a reminder that what once felt like frontier technology is becoming part of everyday life, which makes the future of this field even more exciting.
What inspired you to start your journey?
Joanna: What really inspired my path was seeing, firsthand, the limitations of existing medical implants in the clinic.
I spent years working closely with surgeons—often embedded at leading surgical institutions such as MD Anderson and Mount Sinai—understanding their challenges and bringing those insights back to inform product development. I was working on advanced biomaterials, meshes, tissue transplants, and complex reconstructive procedures, and there was a consistent gap: the surgical implant products available didn’t fully meet clinical needs.
They had access to materials with the right biology but not the right form, or the right structure but not the right biological performance. Rarely both.
That was the unlock for me. The opportunity wasn’t just to develop better materials, but to design manufacturing approaches that could shape biological materials into functional, clinically relevant structures.
That’s what drew me into this space—bridging that gap between what surgeons need and what materials can actually do.
Who inspired you the most along this journey?
Joanna: I’ve been fortunate to be inspired by both scientific and clinical leaders along the way.
From the scientific side, Professor David Kaplan at Tufts has been incredibly influential. He is a global leader in materials science and tissue regeneration, known for his pioneering work in silk biopolymers, and is a cofounder of Materialize Bio and coinventor of our core technology. He served on my PhD thesis committee, and has been a mentor all along my way – personally and professionally. His work fundamentally shaped how I think about life, people, biomaterials, and what they can do.
But the deepest inspiration has come from reconstructive surgeons, including pioneers like Ian Valerio, Scott Levin, Steven Moran, Louis Catalano, Jesse Selber, and David Adelman. These are individuals doing some of the most demanding work in medicine, rebuilding form and function for patients in incredibly difficult circumstances. Not only do they work tirelessly to educate their peers, to continuously improve, and to become true experts in saving lives and restoring the human body, but I’ve also seen them operate through the night, showing an extraordinary level of commitment to their patients.
Watching that made it very clear to me that my contribution was to listen closely to their needs and work tirelessly to build better tools to support what they do.
What motivates you the most for your work?
Joanna: Patients.
I’ve always believed in staying close to the patient experience. I’ve been in the room, holding a patient’s hand before surgery when they’re scared. I respect the tone of the operating room because I’ve also been there as a family member, sitting with loved ones in difficult moments.
I understand what it means to be vulnerable in those situations, and how much trust patients place in the people and technologies around them.
Health is something we often take for granted until it’s compromised. Pain and disease can take over daily life, and in those moments, even small improvements can mean everything.
That’s what drives me. The responsibility to reduce suffering, to improve outcomes, and to build technologies that truly make a difference when patients need it most.
What is/are the biggest obstacle(s) in your line of work?
Joanna: At the most fundamental level, the biggest obstacle is simple: the biomaterials we are made of are amazing. It’s just that these materials don’t melt, which limits our ability to extract them from nature and turn them into what we need.
Most of modern manufacturing is built around materials that can be heated, shaped, and solidified. Natural biomaterials do not behave that way, which means you cannot just apply traditional processes and expect them to work. That creates a major barrier to making strong, precise, and scalable medical devices.
The second challenge is translation. Even with promising material, bringing it to human use requires navigating clinical validation, regulatory pathways, and surgeon adoption. These are complex, interconnected systems that all must align.
The way we approach this is by learning/being inspired by how its done by natures….and then designing around the material, not forcing the material into existing systems. That means being able to look beyond traditional manufacturing methods and respecting how these materials behave, while also integrating clinical and regulatory thinking from the beginning.
We have not solved everything, but this shift in approach has allowed us to move closer to building devices that are both biologically effective and clinically viable.
What do you think are the biggest challenges in 3D Printing/bio-printing?
Joanna: Translation. Moving from a printed construct to something that can be used in patients requires scalability, reproducibility, regulatory approval, and clinical adoption. These are not trivial steps, and they are often underestimated early on.
The opportunity is to shift toward a more integrated approach. That means starting with the material and the clinical need and then designing the manufacturing process around both. It also means thinking about scalability and translation from the beginning, not as an afterthought.
I think the field is now moving in that direction, and that is where we will start to see real clinical impact.
If you are granted three wishes by a higher being, what would they be?
Joanna: First, eternal health for my family and me. Everything else depends on that.
Second, more patience. Both in life and in work. The things that matter most, whether it is building a company or raising a family, take time, and I think we all underestimate how important patience really is.
And third, I would freeze time just a little with my kids. They are three and six right now, and there is something about this stage that is so full of curiosity, love, and joy. If I could hold onto that just a bit longer, I would.
What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student in the “real world”? What bad advice have you heard that they should ignore?
Joanna: Do not fall in love with the technology. Fall in love with the problem
Bad advice to ignore is that you need to follow a straight, well-defined path. Some of the most valuable experiences come from taking roles that do not seem directly connected at the time, but ultimately give you a broader perspective and skill set.
What’s your favorite book you read this year and why? Alternatively, what’s your favorite book of all time you’ve read and why?
Joanna: I have to admit I haven’t finished a book yet this year. My kids tend to get most of my free time right now, but I still love to read when I can.
One of my favorite books of all time is The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. I’m drawn to how it blends science, philosophy, and humor while questioning ideas of control, purpose, and human progress.
What resonates with me most is the underlying idea that systems are often far more complex and unpredictable than we think, and that even small actions can play a role in much larger outcomes we don’t fully understand.
That perspective shows up in our work. In biology and biomaterials, we try to design and engineer solutions, but we’re ultimately working within systems that have their own rules and behaviors. It’s a reminder to stay humble, to stay curious, and to respect the complexity of what we’re building for.
Related Links:
- Biomaterials & Bioinks for 3D Printing (On Demand)
- 3D Bioprinting: Yellow Brick Road Part 2 — Soft Is Hard
- FRESH Bioprinting for Type I Diabetes with Mike Graffeo
- Challenges Facing 3D Printing in Reconstructive Surgeries
- Interview with Julien Payen: Lattice Medical
- Interview with Alyssa Huffman: CEO, Allumin8
- The Lattice March 2026: FDA Clearances, Bioprinted Tissue, AI-Powered AM
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