Danielle Benoit, Ph.D., Lorry Lokey Chair of the Department of Bioengineering, University of Oregon, "Development of a Tissue Engineered Periosteum through Biomimetic Biomaterials Design"
Speaker:
Danielle Benoit, Ph.D.
Lorry Lokey Chair of the Department of Bioengineering
University of Oregon
Faculty Hosts: Carrie Mills and Marley Dewey
Title: "Development of a Tissue Engineered Periosteum through Biomimetic Biomaterials Design"
Abstract:
Bone grafting procedures cost over $2.5 billion annually in the U.S., with about one-third relying on decellularized allografts, which have a 60% failure rate within ten years. This high failure rate is linked to the absence of periosteum, a vascularized tissue that promotes bone healing through paracrine signaling. To address this, we developed a tissue-engineered periosteum (TEP) using poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels to enhance allograft healing.
Our TEP, which incorporates mouse mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and osteoprogenitors, is designed for controlled degradation within two weeks post-implantation to support autograft-like healing. Key design features include optimized cell persistence and paracrine factor production, which guide host tissue recruitment and remodeling.
We further leveraged RNA sequencing to identify critical periosteal paracrine cues for healing, enabling us to design a cell-free TEP that delivers peptide-based paracrine mimetics with temporal control. This growth factor- and cell-free TEP provides comparable healing to cellular TEP, showing potential to reduce graft failure rates, shorten recovery time, and lower healthcare costs.
Bio:
Danielle S.W. Benoit is the Lorry Lokey Chair and Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Oregon, where she leads a globally recognized research program in therapeutic biomaterials focused on clinical challenges in cell transplantation and drug delivery. Her work advances engineered extracellular matrices for bone repair, hydrogel depots for controlled drug release, pH-responsive nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery, and tissue mimetics for the salivary gland and macula. Prof. Benoit’s contributions have earned her numerous honors, including election as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, BMES, and AIMBE, as well as awards like the University of Maine Distinguished Alumni Award and the NSF CAREER Award. She holds a B.S. in Biological Engineering from the University of Maine, a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado, and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Washington. After joining the faculty at the University of Rochester in 2010, she moved to Oregon in 2022.
