Bizios joined the Rensselaer biomedical engineering faculty in 1981. She held adjunct faculty appointments in the department of physiology and cell biology at Albany Medical College from 1982 to 2000. During sabbatical leaves, she was a visiting associate professor in the chemical engineering department at Rice University from 1987 to 1988, a visiting scientist in the chemical engineering department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1995, a visiting associate professor in the chemical engineering department at Rice in 1996, and will be the Chalmers Jubileums Visiting Professor at Chalmers University of Technology, Goteborg, Sweden in 2002.

Bizios is author/coauthor of one textbook, over 90 peer reviewed publications, more than 280 presentations at national and international conferences, and holds three patents. She is a member of the editorial advisory board of both the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research and the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research: Applied Biomaterials. She is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering and an international fellow of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering. In 1985, she received the Outstanding Alumna in Engineering Award from the Society of Women Engineers at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. She also received the Rensselaer Alumni Association Teaching Award in 1997 and the Clemson Award for Contributions to the Scientific Literature of Biomaterials in 1998.

Dr. Bizios received the Outstanding Alumna in Engineering Award of the Society of Women Engineers, College of Engineering, University of Massachusetts (1985), the Rensselaer Alumni Association Teaching Award (1997), and the Clemson Award for Contribution to the Biomaterials Literature from the Society for Biomaterials (1998). Dr. Bizios is a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, and an International Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering, International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering."

Cellular and Tissue Engineering

Current research activities address aspects of cellular engineering, biomaterials and bone-tissue engineering. This in vitro work is conducted in the Cellular and Tissue Engineering Laboratory at Rensselaer; due to the interdisciplinary nature of the research, these projects are collaborations with colleagues from Rensselaer, Albany Medical College, Indiana University Medical School, Genentech, Inc., and Rice University. The results of these studies provide valuable insights at the cellular/molecular level of physiological processes (such as tissue regeneration and remodeling) and of select pathological conditions. The knowledge derived from this research could be used to design the orthopedic/dental implant biomaterials of the future and to develop new strategies to engineer tissue formation in vitro and in vivo.

Cellular Engineering

The effects of chemical, mechanical, magnetic and electrical stimuli on the function of cells from select tissues are investigated. For this purpose, mammalian cell models as well as biochemical/molecular techniques have been used to elucidate mechanism(s) relevant to the pathophysiology of tissues under conditions that simulate the dynamic milieu of the body. To date, these endeavors have addressed the following systems:(1) the effects of sustained and cyclic pressure on vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells; (2) the effects of cyclic pressure on osteoblasts and osteoclasts; (3) of sustained pressure on bladder smooth muscle cells; and (4) the effects of magnetic, electric and electromagnetic stimulation on osteoblasts, osteoclasts, fibroblasts and endothelial cells. Unique laboratory setups have been designed, assembled, calibrated, and used to investigate select responses of mammalian cells to select mechanical and biophysical stimuli.

Design and Evaluation of Proactive Biomaterials

Proactive biomaterials are designed to control, modulate and direct select, desirable and timely cellular responses at the tissue/biomaterial interface. For this purpose, knowledge from recent advances in cellular/molecular biology, biochemistry and materials sciences is utilized to chemically modify material surfaces with patterns of select bioactive compounds (such as adhesive peptides). Cellular, in vitro models are used to determine conditions (such as optimizing select function(s) of one specific cell line (for example, osteoblasts) while minimizing/controlling unwanted responses of another (for example, fibroblasts, etc.) that effect successful neotissue growth. In addition, other current research endeavors focus on the development and evaluation of novel biomaterials with unique properties for orthopaedic/dental applications. Ongoing projects include: (1) nanoceramics and polymer/nanoceramic composites; (2) carbon nanotube/polymer composites ; and (3) current-conducting polymers.

Tissue Engineering

Improved knowledge of the conditions (specifically, appropriate chemical, mechanical, and electromagnetic stimuli) that promote neotissue formation on proactive biomaterials is applied in bone-tissue engineering research. Three-dimensional scaffolds have been designed, synthesized and used as substrates for osteoblasts in studies aiming at determining the chemical, mechanical, and electromagnetic conditions that optimize new bone formation in vitro."