Principal Investigator Roger Kamm
The laboratory has been developing new scaffolds for tissue engineering comprised of self-assembling peptides. These scaffold have the advantage of having a filamentous structure similar to that of the exracellular matrix in terms of stiffness and fibril size and density. In addition, the peptides can be functionalized to present specific growth factors or cytokines required for specific tissue function. Current efforts are directed toward the development of microvascular networks, the major obstacle in the creation of vascularized organs.
Interest in developing vascular networks in vitro has led to new activities in the design and fabrication of novel microfluidic systems that provide an environment for growing three-dimensional vascular networks within a microfluidic platform that allows for simultaneous control over a wide range of biochemical factors and biophysical factors. Time-lapse imaging also provides the opportunity for real-time control of these factors to achieve a desired outcome. Computational models are also being developed to simulate the process of angiogenesis, and to couple with the experiments.