(3az) Multi- Scale Functional and Responsive Soft Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery Applications

The main focus of my research is the development, characterization and processing of multi-functional and multi-responsive soft biomaterials with well-controlled "dynamic" properties for biological applications with a particular interest in tissue engineering and drug delivery. My past training has provided a foundation for this future work. During my Ph.D. I studied self-assembly, adhesion and interfacial interactions of polymers and soft materials. In particular, I designed and synthesized marine mussel mimetic hydrogels, and investigated their adhesive properties with soft (tissue) and hard substrates (e.g. Ti) in aqueous environments. During my 1st year in postdoctoral studies, I developed skills on nano/micro fabrication and patterning techniques. Specifically, I worked on photopolymerization, nano/micro 2D/3D patterning, elastic instabilities, stimuli responsive soft surfaces and composite hydrogels. For the past 3 years, I have been working on developing polymeric biomaterials for tissue regeneration and drug delivery applications. Some of the specific examples include using surface instabilities to control stem cell shape and differentiation, and investigating the stem cell response to substrate stiffening (in HA gels) in terms of spreading, traction forces (via dynamic traction force microscopy), migration, proliferation and differentiation.

My long-term goal is to establish an interdisciplinary experimental research group on soft functional materials. In this poster session, I would like to show relevant examples of my past research and mainly focused on three projects that will serve as the foundation for initial work in my laboratory:

1. Biomimetic Nanopatterns to Fast-Screen Stem Cell Properties and Function
2. Next Generation Soft Hydrogels with Dynamic Properties for Tissue Regeneration
3. Smart Hydrogel-based Biomaterials for Mechano-Induced Drug Delivery