Research

Cell & Tissue Engineering

One of the most exciting areas in biomedical engineering is tissue engineering. Tissue engineering is the ability to generate living tissue ex vivo for replacement or therapeutic applications through materials development, biochemical manipulations, cell culture, and genetic engineering.

This area of research and development has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of a wide variety of disorders and injuries.

Of fundamental importance in the design of such tissues is the ability to understand and predict how cell behavior, cell growth, and differentiation are affected by the mechanochemistry of the cellular environment. There is ample evidence showing that the physical surroundings of cells, both chemical and mechanical, can have profound effects on cellular behavior, including growth and differentiation.

Of particular importance is first understanding, then controlling, the effects of physical contacts between cells, between cells and artificial substrates, and between cells and the extracellular matrix that they produce.

Molecular, cellular and tissue engineering encompasses the study of cellular interactions using principles of engineering, physical chemistry, and physics to more clearly understand the mechanism of cellular responses to surface contacts. It includes the design of surfaces for the purpose of eliciting a particular cellular response, and it includes the application of this knowledge to generate cellular systems for therapeutics, sensors, and novel tools for research.

Example Research Projects