(4dm) High Throughput Polymer-Array Technology for Stem Cell Engineering

Stem cells hold enormous potential for applications in regenerative medicine. They have the unique ability to undergo self-renewal in an undifferentiated state and have potential to differentiate into multiple cell types. However, as the behavior of stem cells is usually determined by the interplay of multiple factors, it has been challenging to understand and engineer stem cell lineage commitment. To this end, I propose to apply my expertise in materials science, combinatorial screening and stem cell biology toward developing completely synthetic, biologically functional polymer microarrays. These microarrays can facilitate the discovery of materials that can direct stem cell self-renewal and differentiation for applications in regenerative medicine. High throughput materials characterizations can further allow for the development of structure-function relationships between biomaterials and stem cell behavior. As an independent investigator, I envision expanding my research to fabricate transfection microarrays for the development of novel polymeric nonviral gene delivery to stem cells.