Australasian Society for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

Berkay first became interested in tissue engineering in high school after learning about stem cells and the possibility to regrow limbs or organs following trauma or disease. This led him to a degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Melbourne followed by PhD studies developing biodegradable porous scaffolds. After a short postdoc position, he moved to the CSIRO to gain more industry-relevant experience, working in the field of antimicrobial coatings. In 2017, Berkay joined PolyNovo and has rapidly progressed within the organisation, from Research Scientist to Senior Development Scientist to his current role as Product Development Manager.

In 2023, Berkay led the development of PolyNovo’s second product, NovoSorb® MTX, which is available across the U.S., and has already benefitted a significant number of patients. His expertise focusses on taking new medical devices through the product development process, including Quality Assurance requirements, obtaining regulatory clearances, and validation activities to ensure the product can be manufactured and distributed to treat patients in need. Inspired by helping patients, he is currently working on two new products, within a larger portfolio, which he hopes will contribute to similarly successful outcomes.

Berkay has been a member of the ASBTE since 2014 and has attended and presented at several events and conferences, initially representing CSIRO and subsequently PolyNovo. Outside of work, Berkay is a keen graphic artist and loves to create fantasy and sci-fi characters – perhaps one day we will see this join with his biomaterials passion in creating a tissue regeneration superhero!