Functional biomaterials for tissue regeneration

Abstract:  Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches for rebuilding damaged or diseased tissues have shown promise. Stem cells have been sought as an attractive cell source to be used in combination with biomaterials that act as scaffolds to regenerate tissues. Recent discoveries have shown that the properties of the scaffold can influence stem cell self-renewal and/or differentiation, which has had a tremendous impact on identifying strategies for using these cells effectively in the body as well as their use as in in vitro models for biomaterials development.  This presentation will describe studies examining the influence of biomaterials on stem cell behavior with an emphasis on identifying biomaterial properties and designs that impart appropriate cues to stem cells to affect their behavior both in vitro and in vivo. Recent results using biomimetic materials, specifically piezoelectric polymers and composites that provide electromechanical cues to stem cells and other cell types, will be discussed. Findings demonstrating stem cell differentiation and tissue formation using novel glycosaminoglycan mimetics, which are polysaccharides that also exhibit piezoelectric properties and prolong the bioactivity of growth factors, will be presented. These biomaterials and their potential use for orthopaedic and neural applications will be discussed. 

 Bio: Treena Livingston Arinzeh, PhD is a Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering. She is also a co-Leader of an Integrated Research Thrust (IRT) and the Director of Diversity of the NSF Science and Technology Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, which is a multi-institutional center with the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Arinzeh received her B.S. from Rutgers University in Mechanical Engineering, her M.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania.  She was a project manager at the stem cell technology company, Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. and joined the faculty of NJIT as one of the founding faculty members of the department of Biomedical Engineering and has served as interim chairperson and graduate director.  Dr. Arinzeh has been recognized with numerous award for her research, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). She is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).

Additional Information:

For Zoom information and password, please contact Lisa Spicer - lms8@psu.edu