Jeff Karp, Author of “Life Ignition Tools”

Today, my guest is Jeff Karp, PhD., Founder of KarpLab, the Distinguished Chair at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Professor at Harvard Medical School and MIT in Boston; and author of Life Ignition Tools.  He was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, Royal Society of Chemistry, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering’s College of Fellows, Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), and the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

Growing up in rural Canada he was written off by his school because of his learning differences. As a result, Jeff evolved a process for embracing life, embodied by Life Ignition Tools, through years of iteration and tinkering to make his unique patterns of thought and behavior work for him. These LIT tools have been thoroughly road-tested, through Dr. Karp’s life, in his lab, and by his many mentees.

Jeff specializes in bioinspired medical problem-solving and runs a research laboratory dedicated to the process of medical innovation that harnesses lessons from nature for inspiration. As a bioengineer, Jeff is at the forefront of taking inspiration from the most successful researchers of all time—evolution and nature—to find ways to improve our daily life, health, focus and productive purpose. His lab’s technologies have led to the formation of thirteen companies. The technologies they have developed include a tissue glue that can seal holes inside a beating heart; targeted therapy for osteoarthritis, Crohn’s disease, and brain disorders; “smart needles” that automatically stop when they reach their target; a nasal spray that neutralizes pathogens; and immunotherapy approaches to annihilate cancer.