Lin has developed a number of platform technologies including 3D biofabrication/printing to augment tissue repairs. Working with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Lin’s group invented a “smart” surgical patch with materials that can change shape and then revert back to an earlier shape (shape memory). This allows the patch to be coiled for easier and quicker insertion during surgery, before it morphs back into the intended shape for the cap on the tiny spine. Over time, the patch dissolves and is replaced by tissue, making corrective surgery unnecessary. The way Lin sees it, it is more productive on many levels long-term to develop ways for the body to heal itself than to conduct repeated surgeries.
Lin also developed an injectable formulation that is specifically for aiding soft skeletal tissue repair. The technology has been translated into a commercialized process, with the creation of a biopharmaceutical company, Amplicore Inc. With the licensed technology, Amplicore has developed a pipeline of products with a novel pharmaceutical delivery method that has been shown to promote cartilage repair, retard skeletal degenerative diseases and reduce pain and inflammation.