BME Seminar Series (Zoom): The X’s and (Ov)O’s of Development-Driven Tissue Engineering

Zoom: https://uci.zoom.us/s/97629106431 Password: 198Sem

Abstract: Developmental biology is the blueprint for advances in tissue engineering. Although great strides have been made in elucidating the genetic contributions to development, the roles of mechanical signals and responses remain an open and exciting area of investigation. In this seminar, I will present on the use of chemical signals to modulate the phenotype and mechanics of smooth muscle cells from excised perinatal murine arteries. I will then show how in ovo changes in blood flow and shear in the chicken embryo impact aortic growth and remodeling. These studies will inform my discussion on translating techniques and theories from vascular mechanics toward the development of mechanically robust tissue engineered cartilage, such as the knee meniscus. To conclude, I will present on the use of laser scanning vibrometry for noncontact mechanical testing of both developing and engineered tissues. I will propose novel ways to use this technology on cells, avian embryos, bioreactor-based tissues, and even the operating room to unlock mechanical data that have been previously inaccessible.

Bio: Gabriela Espinosa is the inaugural director of engineering at Concordia University Irvine, where she is also an assistant professor of engineering. Additionally, she is an assistant project scientist in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at UC Irvine. She earned her Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis and M.S. from Saint Louis University, both in biomedical engineering. Her undergraduate degree is from Yale University in applied physics. Espinosa is developing novel biomechanical tools and strategies, such as laser scanning vibrometry and hyperelastic modeling, for cartilage tissue engineering. Espinosa’s work has been widely published, presented, and recognized by organizations, such as the Biomedical Engineering Society and the World Congress of Biomechanics. In her directorship at Concordia, Espinosa is jumpstarting a new undergraduate engineering program that is engaged in the formation of citizen-engineers.