Stem Cell Engineering

Stem Cell Engineering

Goals

The project involves the design of innovative scaffolds for hard and soft tissue regeneration. Dr. Marcia Simon is director of the Living Skin Bank and in that capacity has the IRB for obtaining both dermal and dental tissue. Together, we have a program for the design of scaffolds which enable regeneration of (a) teeth and (b) skin. The current project we are proposing is the translation of the current research and methodology towards 3-D printing platforms of the scaffolds and the tissue.

Issues Involved or Addressed

Dr. Simon already produces organo-typic artifical skin constructs, and together with Dr. Rafailovich, has developed multiple methods for initiating dental pulp differentiation along multiple lineages. They have an integrated program where PhD, Masters, undergraduate, and high school students from both departments have worked together and published in this area. They wish to initiate a collaboration for the translastion of this expertise towards a 3D printing plateform where scaffolds and skin grafts could be printed directly from patient cone scans. The have initiated collaborations with colleagues at the FDA in this area and will apply for the appropriate IRB to conduct this work.

Methods and Technologies

  • Nanocomposite compounding
  • Hydrogel/Polymer synthesis
  • Tissue culture
  • Immunohistochemical staining
  • 3-D Imaging with Confocal and atomic force microscopy
  • Electron microscopy (FIBcryo TEM, cryo SEM)
  • Thin film preparation; polymer spin casting, cryo sectioning, Bioprinting with multiple print heads
  • FDM printing; G-code programming
  • Rheology, viscometry
  • RAMAN, FTIR spectroscopy

Academic Majors of Interest

  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Chemical and Molecular Engineering
  • Engineering Science
  • Biology & Biochemistry
  • Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology
  • Physics
  • Oral Biology and Pathology
  • Chemistry
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering

Preferred Interests and Preparation

Team Advisors

Sponsor(s)