Nina Marie Tandon grew up on Roosevelt Island in New York City, surrounded by a family that valued exploration and learning. She had one brother and two sisters, all of whom shared a culture of experimentation at home.
Her fascination with science was sparked by something deeply personal: her siblings’ eye conditions. Watching them navigate the world with visual challenges shaped her perception of medicine—not merely as treatment, but as transformation. Encouraged by her mother to experiment freely, Nina Marie Tandon built Tinkertoy towers, explored static electricity, and designed science fair projects that often used her classmates as test subjects.
But she was not confined to the lab. She balanced puzzles with poetry, theatre with sewing. This blend of analytical precision and creative expression would later become the hallmark of her career.
Nina Marie Tandon: Education – Engineering Meets Biology
Nina Marie Tandon’s academic path reflects her relentless pursuit of interdisciplinary excellence.
She earned her Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Cooper Union in 2007, where she even built an electronic musical instrument powered by the electromagnetic waves of the human body. During this period, she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and studied at University of Rome Tor Vergata. There, she worked on LibraNose—an innovative attempt to detect cancer through breath analysis.
Her journey continued at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she earned a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering as a Presidential Fellow. Yet something deeper called her toward medicine. She transitioned into biomedical engineering and completed her PhD at Columbia University, focusing on cardiac tissue engineering. Later, she earned an MBA from Columbia to bridge the gap between laboratory discovery and real-world application.
For Nina Marie Tandon, science alone was not enough. She wanted impact. And impact required entrepreneurship.
The Birth of EpiBone: Reimagining Skeletal Repair
Bone graft surgeries are performed millions of times each year, often requiring surgeons to harvest bone from one part of a patient’s body and implant it elsewhere—a painful and risky process.
Nina Marie Tandon saw a better way.
Together with co-founder Sarindr Bhumiratana, she launched EpiBone, a company dedicated to growing personalized bone and cartilage from a patient’s own stem cells. Their proprietary bioreactor technology recreates the body’s environment, allowing bone tissue to mature naturally in the lab.
The process is revolutionary:
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Stem cells are harvested from the patient.
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A scaffold replicating the required bone structure is created.
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The cells are infused and nurtured in a bioreactor.
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Within weeks, a living, patient-specific bone graft is ready for implantation.
Unlike traditional grafts, these lab-grown bones can remodel and grow with the patient. Nina Marie Tandon describes the human body not as static machinery, but as a renewable resource capable of regeneration.
In 2023, EpiBone received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin human trials of its lab-grown bone implants—an extraordinary milestone for regenerative medicine.
Under her leadership, EpiBone has raised millions in funding, conducted groundbreaking clinical trials, and earned recognition as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. The company has been featured in global media and hailed as one of New York City’s most exciting startups.
Nina Marie Tandon: Beyond the Lab – A Global Voice for Biology
Nina Marie Tandon’s influence extends far beyond EpiBone.
She is an adjunct professor of Electrical Engineering at Cooper Union and a senior fellow at Columbia’s Lab for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering. As a 2011 TED Fellow and 2012 Senior TED Fellow, she has used global platforms to advocate for biology as a universal technology.
Her message is powerful: biology is not reserved for scientists. It can shape art, architecture, sustainability, fashion, and beyond. She urges innovators to remove biology from its pedestal and treat it as a collaborative partner in design.
She has shared insights at international conferences, contributed to policy discussions—including the White House Summit on Biotechnology—and appeared in documentaries such as the Netflix series Human: The World Within.
Honors and Recognition
Nina Marie Tandon’s impact has earned her global recognition:
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Named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business
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Ernst & Young Winning Woman
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Goldman Sachs’ 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs
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Marie Claire Women on Top Award recipient
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Crain’s New York 40 Under 40 honoree