Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine

CHEMS Seminar

Featuring Sarah Heilshorn, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
Stanford University

Location:  Donald Bren Hall (DBH) Room 1200

Abstract:
A promising new approach to designing biomaterials involves mimicking the tools nature has developed to create functional materials at the molecular level. The polymers we design and synthesize are composed of engineered proteins created by bacterial hosts.  Using genetic engineering techniques, the exact sequence of the monomers (amino acids) in the engineered protein polymers can be specified.  By altering the sequence of amino acids, new classes of engineered polymers can be created with tunable mechanical properties, self-assembly features, degradation profiles, and biological interactions. These materials are ideal candidates to be used as drug and cell delivery vehicles, biomaterials for reconstructive surgeries, and self-assembling templates for nanotechnology.  Recent efforts have focused on developing biomaterials for spinal cord regeneration, heart tissue engineering with human embryonic stem cells, and neural progenitor cell delivery in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and stroke.

About the Speaker:
Prior to joining the Stanford School of Engineering in 2006, Heilshorn was a postdoctoral scholar in neurobiology at the University of California, Berkeley. She completed her Ph.D. and M.S. degree studies in chemical engineering at California Institute of Technology, with a minor in biology, and her B.S. degree in chemical engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology.  She also spent time as a visiting scientist in the Polymer Science Department at the Kyoto Institute of Technology, .  She combines these diverse fields to design new materials that mimic those found in our own bodies.  As part of the Stanford Regenerative Medicine Program, Heilshorn is studying how these materials can communicate with cells in order to heal damaged tissue. Specific applications that her laboratory is studying include heart, brain, and spinal cord tissues.