Events

SEMS PDRA-PhD seminars: Daniele Marciano and Suji Kunalan

Date: Tuesday 7 May 2024 12:00 - 12:30

Location: SEMS Seminar Room, 3rd floor, Engineering Building

Title:

Engineered nano- to microstructured organohydrogels for regenerative medicine

About the Speaker:

Mr Daniele Marciano is a PhD student under the supervision of Prof Julien Gautrot, and his work bridges biointerfaces and life sciences. To date, natural or synthetic ECM-mimicking hydrogels are widely used as 3D scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Recapitulating the main features of native extracellular matrix, such as the hierarchical porosity, is critical to allow for rapid cell spreading. This project aims to develop nano- to microstructured scaffolds by crosslinking emulsions via thiol-ene chemistry. Using this system, we show that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) display rapid cell spreading, comparable to what is observed in ECM based hydrogels, such as fibrin gels. Finally, we investigate how MSCs derived exosomes released from these gels stimulate microvascularisation in an angiogenesis in vitro assay, displaying attractive potential for regenerative medicine.

www.qmul.ac.uk/biointerfaces/people/daniele-marciano.html

Title:

Bioactive Bioresorbable Composite

About the Speaker:

Ms. Sujitha Kunalan is currently pursuing her PhD under the supervision of Prof Karin Hing. Her research focuses on the innovative intersection of biology and materials science, specifically investigating bioactive bioresorbable composites for medical applications. This field of study is pivotal for developing advanced materials that can be safely absorbed by the body while promoting biological functions such as tissue regeneration.