CBE Distinguished Lecture: Synthetic Hydrogels as Extracellular Matrix Mimics - Engineering Materials for 4D Cell Culture

Abstract:  My research group is interested in the development of polymeric biomaterials that can interface with cells and promote tissue regeneration and repair. From a fundamental perspective, we seek to decipher the critical extracellular matrix (ECM) signals that are relevant for tissue development, regeneration and disease and then design materials that integrate these signals. From an applied perspective, we use this knowledge to engineer materials that can promote tissue regeneration in vitro and in vivo. This talk will illustrate our recent efforts toward the synthesis of new hydrogel chemistries for 4D cell culture and regenerative medicine, and how one can dynamically control biochemical and biophysical properties through orthogonal, photochemical click reaction mechanisms. Some specific examples will include the design of hydrogels that promote musculoskeletal tissue regeneration, materials-directed growth of intestinal organoids from a single stem cell and super-swelling matrices to visualize cell-matrix interactions with unprecedented resolution. These efforts will then be placed in the context of designing precision biomaterials to address demands for patient specific products and treatments.

Bio: Kristi Anseth is a professor of chemical and biological engineering and associate faculty director of the BioFrontiers Institute at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She currently holds the Tisone Professorship and is a distinguished professor. Anseth came to CU-Boulder after earning her bachelor's degree from Purdue University, her doctorate from the University of Colorado and completing postdoctoral research at MIT as an NIH fellow. Her research interests lie at the interface between biology and engineering where she designs new biomaterials for applications in drug delivery and regenerative medicine. Anseth’s research group has published over 400 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and she has trained more than 150 graduate students and postdoctoral associates. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering (2009), the National Academy of Medicine (2009), the National Academy of Sciences (2013), the National Academy of Inventors (2016) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2019). Most recently, she received the L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award in the Life Sciences (2020). Anseth has served on the board of directors and as president of the Materials Research Society, board of directors for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the board of governors for Acta Materialia, Inc., chair of the board of trustees for the Gordon Research Conferences, the NIH Advisory Council for NIBIB and as chair of the NAE U.S. Frontiers of Engineering meetings and NAE Bioengineering Section.