Deok-Ho Kim, Ph.D.
Department of Bioengineering
E-mail: deokho@u.wa...
TITLE:
"Extracellular Matrix Control of Cell
Function and Tissue Regeneration"
ABSTRACT
Living tissues are intricate ensembles of cells of different types
embedded in complex and
well defined structures of extracellular matrix (ECM). In this
talk, I will present our
interdisciplinary efforts directed towards better understanding of the
role of physicochemical
interactions of living cells with the ECM in regulation of cellular and
multi-cellular form and
function using synthetic nano-matrices. Inspired by
ultrastructural analysis of the native
tissues, I will particularly focus on cardiac and skeletal tissue
engineering, in which
controlling cell-ECM interactions on the nanoscale can have dramatic
consequences. As novel
approaches to address these problems, I will introduce micro- and
nanoengineering approaches
for producing scalable, nanotopographically-controlled models of
physiologically relevant
tissue constructs mimicking the in vivo structural organization.
Using these tools in
combination with traditional molecular and cell biology approaches, I
will highlight how these
biomimetic cell culture models enabled by micro and nanotechnologies
help to gain better
understanding of the structure-function relationship in engineered
cells and tissues, and allow
us to establish general principles for development of more precise and
defined scaffolds for
advanced tissue engineering. We propose that controlling
cell-material interactions on the
nanoscale can stipulate structure and function on the tissue level, and
yield novel insights
into in vivo tissue physiology, while providing scaffolding materials
for tissue repair.