Spatially Organized Biomaterials to Direct Tissue Regeneration
ONLINE CBE SEMINAR
All Winter 2021 CBE Seminars will be hosted online via Zoom. RSVP to receive zoom link by emailing info@bioengineering.ucsb.edu.
Zoom will open after the host has joined at the start of each seminar. You can ask questions through the chat forum and by raising your "hand" and the speaker will call on you.
Speaker
Lesley W. Chow, Ph.D.
Frank Hook Assistant Professor
Department of Materials Science & Engineering
Department of Bioengineering
Lehigh University
Abstract
Biological tissues are complex composite materials where the spatial arrangement of multiple extracellular matrix (ECM) components is intimately linked to the tissue’s function in the body. Disrupting this organization affects normal tissue properties, even if the overall composition remains the same. For example, the osteochondral interface between bone and cartilage contains biochemical, structural, and mechanical gradients that are critical for load transfer and joint movement. Current techniques to repair this tissue typically result in poorly organized tissues that fail to restore biomechanical function. Inspired by native tissues, the Chow Lab focuses on developing strategies to combine and organize multiple bioactive components within a continuous biomaterial. Our overarching goal is to fabricate scaffolds that guide heterogeneous tissue formation and organization, leading to engineered constructs with properties that more closely match their native counterparts. To achieve this, we developed a versatile platform where end-functionalized polymer conjugates are 3D printed into user-defined patterns. The conjugate’s functional groups (i.e., peptides, bioorthogonal chemistries) become displayed on the surface during fabrication to generate functionalized scaffolds in a single step. Multiple chemistries can therefore be spatially organized within a continuous material using different conjugates and multiple printer heads. In parallel, scaffold architecture can be independently and simultaneously controlled by changing the print pattern. The seminar will describe our platform and discuss how we are using this modular strategy to fabricate scaffolds to regenerate osteochondral tissues.
BIO
Dr. Lesley Chow is a Frank Hook Assistant Professor jointly appointed in the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Bioengineering at Lehigh University. She was recently appointed to the Harold Chambers Junior Professorship in 2019 and received the NSF CAREER Award in 2020. She joined Lehigh following her postdoctoral training at Imperial College London in the Departments of Materials and Bioengineering. She received her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida and her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University.
