News & Events

BME Seminar Series: Magnus Bergkvist, Ph.D.

Goergen Hall 101 (Sloan Auditorium)

Magnus Bergkvist, Ph.D.
SUNY Albany

"Bio-inspired Materials for Ocular Tissue Engineering and Nanomedicine Applications"

Abstract: Research over the last decade has shown that purposely designed tissue scaffolds in combination with advanced cell culture technology (stem-cells etc.), are desirable to generate functional artificial tissue systems for fundamental research and translational applications. Modern nanofabrication technology is well-suited to produce well-defined “biomimetic” scaffold designs out of various biocompatible materials to . Our goal is to leverage such technology for ocular tissue engineering applications, focusing on the trabecular meshwork (TM) and Descemet's membrane/corneal endothelial layer (CEL). Engineered scaffolds could offer several advantages such as improved mechanical support, provide cell-structural cues and controlled microniche, enhance cell survivability, and lead practical devices that can be handled by the end-user.  This presentation will highlight our work on porous cell scaffolds using epoxy-based photoresists toward a functional hTM 3D tissue construct for in-vitro drug screening applications. Results on materials/fabrication approaches and evaluation of the engineered tissue will be presented. Strategies for integrating these constructs in a multiflow perfusion system will also be discussed.

This presentation will also briefly discuss our efforts to develop bio-derived materials for nanomedicine applications, such as targeted delivery of cancer therapeutics. In particular, the use of a virus-like particle for photodynamic therapy (PDT) is demonstrated.  Targeted delivery vehicles were prepared via nucleotide-driven packaging of cationic porphyrins inside MS2 bacteriophage capsids, followed by covalent attachment of nucleolin-targeting aptamers to the capsid exterior. PDT experiments showed that MCF-7 human mammary adenocarcinoma cells were selectively killed, whereas normal human mammary epithelial MCF-10A cells remain unaffected.