Research:

Hydrogels can be designed with biodegradable and bioactive crosslinkers that allow cells to interact with and modify their microenvironment. These gels can be used to fill defects in specific tissues by altering the ligands incorporated inside.

Researchers:

   Jacob Pollock
   James Su
   Kimberly Kam

Our lab uses a polyacrylamide/polyethylene glycol interpenetrating polymer network to render cell culture substrates resistant to non-specific protein adsorption. Further modifying the polymerization scheme allows for creation of surfaces with varying moduli, as well as creating tethering sites for specific ligands to study their affects on cells in vitro.

Researchers:

   Ray Schmidt
   Naomi Kohen

Current research in our lab on human embryonic stem cells is focused on development of an animal product free cell culture protocol. Maintenance of stemness on an artificial culture surface in which all of the culture materials are well defined is a critical step in the creation and passaging of potential therapeutic stem cell lines.

Researchers:

   Ying Meng
   Lauren Miller
   Eric Jabart