Engineering Biomimetic Cues to Restore Musculoskeletal Tissue Function
Julianne Holloway, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania
Monday, February 9, 2015
10:30 a.m.
Biodesign Center Auditorium (BDB) 105, Tempe campus [map]
Abstract
Musculoskeletal injuries and diseases, which include meniscal tears and degenerative disc disease, are a significant health concern in the United States. Current treatments, however, typically rely on donor tissues (either allo- or autografts) and suffer from poor availability. Furthermore, donor tissue does not always adequately restore function, integrates poorly with surrounding tissue, and can have a high morbidity. Tissue engineering aimed at replicating and/or restoring the biological andmechanical cues required for tissue function offers an advantage to current treatments and prevents further musculoskeletal degeneration. In this seminar, Holloway will discuss several unique musculoskeletal tissue engineering approaches, including:
(1) engineering fiber-reinforced hydrogel composites to mimic the native structure of the meniscus and (2) delivering chemical cues to increase cell migration and promote bone repair. Together, these projects demonstrate how biomaterials can be designed to incorporate various biomimetic cues towards improving tissue repair and functionality.
Biosketch
Julianne Holloway received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Drexel University in 2012 under the advisement of Giuseppe Palmese and Anthony Lowman. For her doctorate, she designed a novel fiber-reinforced hydrogel composite aimed at replicating the anisotropic property distribution of the human meniscus. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania under the mentorship of Jason Burdick. Through her research proposal on engineering proteolytically degradable hydrogels for synergistic growth factor delivery, she was awarded the National Institute of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Postdoctoral (NIH NRSA F32) Fellowship. Her research interests are in the field of tissue engineering, with a focus on designing materials to mimic the native chemical and physical cues of musculoskeletal tissues and developing a better understanding of the role dynamic biomechanics plays on cellular behavior. Julianne’s research has been recognized through several awards, including: University of Washington’s Distinguished Young Scholars Seminar Participant (2014); Most Promising Graduate Student Commencement Award (Drexel University, 2012); National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (2009-2012); and First Place in the Society for Advancement of Material and Process Engineering University Research
Symposium (2010).
