Biomaterials,
Tissue Engineering, and Drug Delivery
The focus of the Auguste lab
is to develop novel biomaterials for drug delivery
and tissue engineering. We are interested in directing
the behavior and differentiation of cells, in
most cases human embryonic stem cells, by controlling
their three-dimensional cellular microenvironment.
The design criteria requires the synthesis of
new, biomimetic materials in coordination with
regulating the rate of molecule release, immune
response, targeting, and degradation. These systems
are investigated for potential use in cell-based
therapies.
Cells receive information from
their environment from both mechanical and chemical
signaling. Biodegradable materials have been designed
for tissue repair and for the controlled release
of molecules. These materials may provide a surface
for cells to adhere and proliferate or a conduit
for encapsulation and release of molecules. We
are interested in material-cell interactions that
result in changes in cell behavior over periods
of time using bioactive environments that activate
or inhibit cellular processes. We examine the
differentiation of human embryonic stem cells,
the precursors of all organ tissues, to learn
how they respond to chemical and environmental
cues to become dedicated cells.
We address the following questions:
· What chemical and environmental
cues influence stem cell differentiation?
· How do we control the delivery of chemical
cues?
· How can we develop bioactive scaffolds?
· How can we prepare scaffolds that harvest
different cell types?
· How does one particular cell type influence
stem cells to differentiate?
The spatio-temporal control of
chemical cues is important in many areas: from
cell differentiation to cancer research. Site-specific
delivery of drugs remains a challenge. The effects
of systemically administered drugs, i.e. chemotherapetuics,
antifungal agents, anesthetics etc., that pose
a detriment to many organs may be lessened by
changing their biodistribution. We investigate
nanoparticles that passively localize to tumors
and sites of inflammation through enhanced permeability
and retention (EPR). Here, new, leaky vasculature
and immunogenicity work to sequester drug delivery
vehicles to particular sites in the body. We develop
and integrate both liposome and polymer-based
drug delivery vehicles to prepare systems that
facilitate intracellular delivery, tumor delivery,
and targeted delivery.
Our multidisciplinary research
is comprised of a mixture of cellular and molecular
biology, polymer chemistry, material science,
and molecular modeling.
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