BMECHE Research Seminar: Zhen Ma (Syracuse University)
Zhen Ma, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical & Chemical Engineering
BioInspired Syracuse Institute for Materials and Living Systems
Syracuse University
Profiling Dynamic Cardiac Mechanobiology Using Programmable Biomaterial Substrate
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have altered the landscape of regenerative medicine and developmental biology. My lab focuses on the integration of biomaterial interface and hiPSC technology to develop biological model systems for deeper understanding of cell development and disease progression under engineered microenvironment. To leverage recent advances in active programmable biomaterials, we were able to investigate how a dynamic changing extracellular microenvironment influences the cardiomyocyte remodeling. We created a dynamic cell culture substrate based on shape memory polymer that can achieve flat-to-wrinkle transition for on-demand alignment of cardiomyocytes, which allowed for studying time-dependent mechano-structural cues for dynamic cardiac mechanobiology. Furthermore, by integrating active biomaterials, single-cell micropatterning, hiPSC technology and gene editing, we are currently establishing a “pathological-inspired” dynamic single-cell model that can enforce eccentric cell remodeling and induce myofibril disarray under active on-demand mechanical stress. Eccentric hypertrophy of hiPSC-CMs imposed by the dynamic shape-changing substrate will facilitate a deeper understanding on disease progression of genetic heart failure.
In person INS 73-1180 and zoom: https://rit.zoom.us/j/96134371398
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