# Mohan Edirisinghe

Mohan Jayantha Edirisinghe OBE FREng is a biomaterials engineer who is the Bonfield Chair of Biomaterials in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London. Edirisinghe studies new materials forming methodologies, with a focus on the development of new biostructures. He was appointed an Order of the British Empire in the 2021 New Year Honours for his services to Biomedical Engineering.

## Early life and education

Edirisinghe was born in Sri Lanka. He was educated at the St Thomas College, Mount Lavinia. He studied at the University of Moratuwa, in a joint course between the British Council and University of Leeds. He eventually moved to Leeds for his postgraduate studies, where he completed a doctorate on alloy additions and how they impact the properties of cast iron and then a Doctor of Science degree was awarded for his materials research in 2000 by the University of Leeds.

## Research and career

Edirisinghe works on materials forming and manufacturing for healthcare and drug delivery. He has developed complex nanofibres that can be used to generate antimicrobial filters, and nanobubbles that facilitate new modes of drug delivery. He developed electrohydrodyanmic printing methods (e.g. electro-spinning and electro-spraying) for biomedical applications. In 2010, Edirisinghe's inventions led to AtoCap, a spin-out company who focus on the encapsulation of generic drugs (e.g. antibiotics and chemotherapeutics) into a complex capsule. He has studied the protein composition of milk, and identified that casein, which contributes 80% of the protein in dairy milk, has anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. Edirisinghe demonstrated that it could be incorporated into biodegradable plastic bandages to accelerate wound healing.
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Edirisinghe worked with the Royal Academy of Engineering to create new respirator masks. His antiviral masks were developed and also worked on air filters that could be used in care homes, schools and on public transport.

## Awards and honours

* 2005 Royal Society Brian Mercer (Innovation) Feasibility Award
* 2009 IOM3 Kroll Medal
* 2010 Materials Science Venture Prize
* 2012 UK Biomaterials Society Presidents Prize
* 2013 Royal Society Brian Mercer (Innovation) Feasibility Award
* 2015 Elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
* 2017 Royal Academy of Engineering Armourers & Brasier's Prize
* 2017 Royal Society Brian Mercer (Innovation) Feasibility Award
* 2017 IOM3 Chapman Medal
* 2020 Elected Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences
* 2023 Royal Academy of Engineering Colin Campbell Mitchell Award
* 2024 Royal Society Clifford Paterson Medal and Lecture

## Selected publications

* C J Luo; Simeon D Stoyanov; E Stride; E Pelan; M Edirisinghe (22 May 2012). "Electrospinning versus fibre production methods: from specifics to technological convergence". Chemical Society Reviews. 41 (13): 4708–4735. doi:10.1039/C2CS35083A. ISSN 0306-0012. PMID 22618026. Wikidata Q38012344.
* C J Luo; M Nangrejo, M Edirisinghe (2010). "A novel method of selecting solvents for polymer electrospinning". Polymer. 51 (7): 1654-1662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2010.01.031
* C. J. Luo; E. Stride; M. Edirisinghe (18 May 2012). "Mapping the Influence of Solubility and Dielectric Constant on Electrospinning Polycaprolactone Solutions". Macromolecules. 45 (11): 4669–4680. doi:10.1021/MA300656U. ISSN 0024-9297. Wikidata Q60455447.
* Eleanor Stride; Mohan Edirisinghe (2008). "Novel microbubble preparation technologies". Soft Matter. 4 (12): 2350. doi:10.1039/B809517P. ISSN 1744-683X. Wikidata Q60455578.
* J Huang; S M Best; W Bonfield; R A Brooks; N Rushton; Suwan N. Jayasinghe; M J Edirisinghe (1 April 2004). "In vitro assessment of the biological response to nano-sized hydroxyapatite". Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine. 15 (4): 441–445. doi:10.1023/B:JMSM.0000021117.67205.CF. ISSN 0957-4530. PMID 15332614. Wikidata Q45033303.
* Richard J Browning; Philip James Thomas Reardon; Maryam Parhizkar; R Barbara Pedley; Mohan Edirisinghe; Jonathan C. Knowles; Eleanor Stride (22 August 2017). "Drug Delivery Strategies for Platinum-Based Chemotherapy". ACS Nano. 11 (9): 8560–8578. doi:10.1021/ACSNANO.7B04092. ISSN 1936-0851. PMID 28829568. Wikidata Q47768639.
* Suntharavathanan Mahalingam; Mohan Edirisinghe (10 June 2013). "Forming of polymer nanofibers by a pressurised gyration process". Macromolecular Rapid Communications. 34 (14): 1134–1139. doi:10.1002/MARC.201300339. ISSN 1022-1336. PMID 23749758. Wikidata Q46922818.
* Asmeret G Kidane; Gaetano Burriesci; Mohan Edirisinghe; Hossein Ghanbari; Philipp Bonhoeffer; Alexander M Seifalian (21 February 2009). "A novel nanocomposite polymer for development of synthetic heart valve leaflets". Acta Biomaterialia. 5 (7): 2409–2417. doi:10.1016/J.ACTBIO.2009.02.025. ISSN 1742-7061. PMID 19497802. Wikidata Q53391252.
* Jubair Ahmed; Merve Gultekinoglu; Mohan Edirisinghe (14 April 2020). "Bacterial cellulose micro-nano fibres for wound healing applications". Biotechnology Advances: 107549. doi:10.1016/J.BIOTECHADV.2020.107549. ISSN 0734-9750. PMID 32302653. Wikidata Q92018259.
* Kyung-Ah Kwon; Rebecca J Shipley; Mohan Edirisinghe; Daniel G Ezra; Geoff Rose; Serena M Best; Ruth E Cameron (12 June 2013). "High-speed camera characterization of voluntary eye blinking kinematics". Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 10 (85): 20130227. doi:10.1098/RSIF.2013.0227. ISSN 1742-5689. PMC 4043155. PMID 23760297. Wikidata Q30579830.
* S.N. Jayasinghe; M.J. Edirisinghe (October 2002). "Effect of viscosity on the size of relics produced by electrostatic atomization". Journal of Aerosol Science. 33 (10): 1379–1388. doi:10.1016/S0021-8502(02)00088-5. ISSN 0021-8502. Wikidata Q60315433.
* Marjan Enayati; Ming-Wei Chang; Felix Bragman; Mohan Edirisinghe; Eleanor Stride (June 2011). "Electrohydrodynamic preparation of particles, capsules and bubbles for biomedical engineering applications". Colloids and Surfaces. 382 (1–3): 154–164. doi:10.1016/J.COLSURFA.2010.11.038. ISSN 0927-7757. Wikidata Q60455473.
* Phoebe L. Heseltine; Jubair Ahmed; Mohan Edirisinghe (11 July 2018). "Developments in Pressurized Gyration for the Mass Production of Polymeric Fibers". Macromolecular Materials and Engineering. 303 (9). doi:10.1002/MAME.201800218. ISSN 1438-7492. Wikidata Q129532668.
* Asmeret G Kidane; Gaetano Burriesci; Patricia Cornejo; Audrey Dooley; Sandip Sarkar; Philipp Bonhoeffer; Mohan Edirisinghe; Alexander M Seifalian (1 January 2009). "Current developments and future prospects for heart valve replacement therapy". Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. 88 (1): 290–303. doi:10.1002/JBM.B.31151. ISSN 1552-4973. PMID 18615473. Wikidata Q37211941.
* Ming-Wei Chang; Eleanor Stride; Mohan Edirisinghe (1 April 2010). "A new method for the preparation of monoporous hollow microspheres". Langmuir. 26 (7): 5115–5121. doi:10.1021/LA903592S. ISSN 0743-7463. PMID 20095539. Wikidata Q43186040.
* Phoebe L. Heseltine; Jubair Ahmed; Mohan Edirisinghe (11 July 2018). "Developments in Pressurized Gyration for the Mass Production of Polymeric Fibers". Macromolecular Materials and Engineering. 303 (9). doi:10.1002/MAME.201800218. ISSN 1438-7492. Wikidata Q129532668.
* Z Ahmad; H B Zhang; U Farook; M Edirisinghe; E Stride; P Colombo (1 October 2008). "Generation of multilayered structures for biomedical applications using a novel tri-needle coaxial device and electrohydrodynamic flow". Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 5 (27): 1255–1261. doi:10.1098/RSIF.2008.0247. ISSN 1742-5689. PMC 3226996. PMID 18647737. Wikidata Q30472709.
* W P S L Wijesinghe; Prasanga Gayanath Mantilaka; E V A Premalal; H M T U Herath; Suntharavathanan Mahalingam; M Edirisinghe; R P V J Rajapakse; R M G Rajapakse (23 May 2014). "Facile synthesis of both needle-like and spherical hydroxyapatite nanoparticles: effect of synthetic temperature and calcination on morphology, crystallite size and crystallinity". Materials Science and Engineering C. 42: 83–90. doi:10.1016/J.MSEC.2014.05.032. ISSN 0928-4931. PMID 25063096. Wikidata Q47446571.
* Marjan Enayati; Zeeshan Ahmad; Eleanor Stride; Mohan Edirisinghe (14 October 2009). "One-step electrohydrodynamic production of drug-loaded micro- and nanoparticles". Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 7 (45): 667–675. doi:10.1098/RSIF.2009.0348. ISSN 1742-5689. PMC 2842782. PMID 19828501. Wikidata Q30475929.
* A S Khan; Z Ahmed; M J Edirisinghe; Ferranti S Wong; I U Rehman (3 May 2008). "Preparation and characterization of a novel bioactive restorative composite based on covalently coupled polyurethane-nanohydroxyapatite fibres". Acta Biomaterialia. 4 (5): 1275–1287. doi:10.1016/J.ACTBIO.2008.04.016. ISSN 1742-7061. PMID 18522875. Wikidata Q47664434.
* The full list of publications can be accessed here.