9/11 – Salman Khetani, UIC
UIC Bioengineering Fall 2020 Weekly Seminars - Now Online!
September 11, 2020
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Address
Chicago, IL
Calendar
Download iCal FileTitle: Designer Tissues for Drug Development and Regenerative Medicine
Abstract: Animal models have been utilized for several decades now for drug development, disease modeling, and to test the efficacy of implantable human tissue constructs. While animal models are a key bridge to human clinical trials, many high-profile drug failures show that animals do not suffice on their own for preclinical investigations because of significant differences in organ-specific molecular pathways across different species. Therefore, the field of 'tissue engineering' has aimed to create human-relevant tissue culture platforms that can complement and in some cases, replace animal testing altogether. To build such platforms, tissue engineers face common challenges such as sustainable cell sourcing, functional stability of cells in vitro, and scaling the constructs for different applications. In this webinar, I will show how we are addressing the above challenges using microfabrication tools adapted from the semiconductor industry, novel biomaterials, stem cell differentiation strategies, and multicellular co-cultures. I will present culture platform development within the context of the liver and the heart, which are difficult organs to engineer in vitro due to their diverse functions, complex architectures, and multiple types of self- and non-self cellular interactions. Since in vitro culture platforms are only as good as their applications, I will next present the utility of our engineered human tissue platforms for drug toxicity screening, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine. Data sets acquired in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies through successful commercial translation will be shown when available. Lastly, I will discuss emerging trends and pending issues that need attention to fully realize the benefits of the engineered tissues revolution, which has garnered substantial attention and funding globally. Ultimately, engineered tissues will most likely be one of the most important contributions of bioengineering to 21st-century healthcare.
Date posted
Aug 31, 2020
Date updated
Oct 16, 2020