Event
CHBE Seminar: Dr. Don Griffin, Biomedical Engr. & Chemical Engr., University of Virginia
Friday, September 16, 2022
11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Room 2108 Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building and Via Zoom
Kathleen Gardinier
301 405 5888
lopresti@umd.edu
Abstract: Regenerative biomaterial scaffolds routinely fail at the preclinical stage due to an inability to integrate with surrounding tissue and avoid a foreign body response (FBR), which is characterized by fibrotic encapsulation and sustained local inflammation around the biomaterial. Microporous Annealed Particle (MAP) hydrogels are formed from an injectable slurry of hydrogel microspheres (microgels) that, once annealed together in situ, form a highly porous structure shown to promote an anti-inflammatory immune response. To create a translational biomaterial that addresses both integration and inflammation, we have recently focused our efforts on using heparin incorporation as a bioactive addition to our MAP hydrogel platform. In this seminar, we present the influence of heparin immobilization approach on protein affinity and microscale heterogeneity on cellular chemotaxis. To demonstrate the promise of bioactive MAP we will demonstrate its impact on clinically relevant outcomes using two different animal models, including re-vascularization of diabetic wound healing and de novo tissue formation for vocal cord reconstruction.
Bio: Don Griffin is an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering. He received his BS in Biomedical Engineering in 2006 from the University of California, Davis and his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2011 from the University of California, Los Angeles. The Griffin research group focuses on the study and design of particle-based biomaterials for clinical translational, including regeneration (e.g., skin, mucosal epithelium, and skeletal muscle), reconstruction (e.g., vocal cord), and transplant support (e.g., pancreatic beta cells for type 1 diabetes treatment). Prof. Griffin also co-founded Tempo Therapeutics, a company in Southern California focused on the commercialization of biomaterials for treatment of complex wounds, in 2015.
