(2bo) Post-Doc Candidate: In Vitro Platforms for Biotherapeutic Screening

Awards: National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP), Leslie Bottorff Fellowship, Frederick N. Andrews Fellowship

Research Interests

The expansion of available mAb treatments resulted in a need for advancement in administration routes. Subcutaneous administration is less invasive; requires shorter clinic times, which results in a significant improvement in patient’s quality of life; improves patient compliance; and reduces cost to the healthcare system. The injected biotherapeutic, however, needs to traverse complex structures of the subcutis and the extracellular matrix (ECM) before it is absorbed by the lymphatic system to have an active effect. The ECM is largely composed of collagen, a fibrous protein, and hyaluronic acid (HA), and anionic polysaccharide.

Collagen and hyaluronic acid (HA) are commonly utilized to form hydrogels that mimic the extracellular matrix for tissue engineering applications. Scaffold microstructure, component incorporation, and modulus govern molecular transport and provide biochemical and mechanical signals for cellular proliferation, differentiation, and migration. During my PhD studies, I have thoroughly studied collagen and HA materials, and developed a Transwell macromolecular recovery assay to study transport of macromolecules through biological barriers. I have completed this through three following projects:

Mapping of Collagen and Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Properties to Functional Responses: Despite the widespread use of collagen and HA (ColHA) hydrogels in tissue engineering, the design space has not been mapped yet due to the large number of fabrication parameters (HA concentration, HA molecular weight (MW), collagen polymerization temperature) that could be investigated. This limitation stems from experimental difficulties, as traditional methods of hydrogel characterization include studying all possible fabrication parameter combinations and require three replicates, is labor intensive, time consuming, and expensive due to the large amount of material needed. In our study, we are developing a mathematical model based on Latin hypercube experimental design and the Bayesian inference method. The model utilizes empirical data collected to predict the effect of the fabrication parameters (collagen polymerization temperatures, HA concentrations and MW simultaneously across large ranges) on the hydrogel properties (collagen and HA retention, microstructure, mechanical properties) and functional responses (transport and cell behavior) of the hydrogel.

High Throughput Platform for Macromolecular Transport: Transwell macromolecular recovery assay is a promising method to study transport of macromolecules through biological barriers. The Transwell inserts are permeable support devices which utilize permeable membrane which allows transport of macromolecules while trapping larger components (such as cells and fibrillar components of the extracellular matrix). In this work, we study the transport of a panel of macromolecules through tissue models composed of collagen and HA.

Characterization of Collagen I, II, and III Blended Hydrogel Polymerization Kinetics for Tissue Engineering Applications: Due to its abundance, and relatively economic and easy extraction, collagen I is the most common collagen used in tissue engineering applications. However, most tissues are composed of a combination of different collagen types. Blended col hydrogels (containing more than once col type) have been studied, including col I/II hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering and col I/III hydrogels for cardiac and vocal tissue engineering (I/III). The addition of col II and III for these applications improved biological responses which highlights the importance of chemical cues blended col hydrogels provide. In this work we studied, blended col I/II and col I/III hydrogel polymerization kinetics, incorporation of different collagen types, microarchitecture, mechanical properties and transport profiles.

Teaching Interest:

During my doctoral training, I had the opportunity to participate in class as a Teaching Assistant (TA) for introductory chemical engineering class (Mass and Energy Balance) for two semesters. As a student, my classroom experience was dominated by understanding the concepts and applying them to solve questions. The experience as a TA taught me that becoming effective instructor involves ability to explain concepts from the basics, and not assume that any step is trivial. By explaining the questions in detail and using analogies, the students I was teaching were able to succeed on their classwork, and apply the concepts with ease to their homework. In addition, as an individual with international background, I understand the importance of communication within classrooms. I will strive to incorporate novel tools into classrooms to ensure students from different backgrounds and learning preferences achieve understanding of the subject. Given my educational background (B.S. and Ph.D in chemical engineering) and experience, I am confident in teaching several chemical engineering courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels. In particular, am interested in teaching mass and energy balances, mass and heat transport, and process controls.