Start Date: | 2/8/2013 | Start Time: | 4:00 PM |
End Date: | 2/8/2013 | End Time: | 5:30 PM |
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Event Description Jason A. Burdick, associate professor in the department of bioengineering at The University of Pennsylvania, will discuss how stem cells (e.g., mesenchymal stem cells, MSCs) respond to many cues from their microenvironment, which may include chemical signals, mechanics, and topography. Importantly, these cues may be incorporated into scaffolding to control stem cell differentiation and optimize their ability to produce tissues in regenerative medicine. Despite the significant amount of work in this area, the materials have been primarily static and uniform. To this end, Dr. Burdick and his team have developed a sequential crosslinking process that relies on their ability to crosslink functional biopolymers (e.g., methacrylated hyaluronic acid, HA) in two steps. Due to the influence of cellular spreading on MSC differentiation, Dr. Burdick and his team have controlled cell fates by controlling their spread ability. Towards applications in cartilage repair, they are engineering HA hydrogels to provide an environment for MSC chondrogenesis, including investigating the influence of receptor interactions, the surrounding culture environment, and the degradation behavior on matrix production and distribution within these gels. Overall, these advanced HA hydrogels provide the opportunity to investigate diverse and controlled material properties for a range of biomedical applications. |
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Location: The Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building, located on the northeast corner of 33rd and Chestnut Streets. |
Audience: AlumniCurrent StudentsFacultyProspective StudentsPublicStaff |
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