Professor Evelyn Yim

Topographical modification of biomaterials for regenerative medicine applications

Abstract

Biological cell niche comprises biochemical and biophysical signals. An ideal scaffold for tissue engineering applications should mimic the microenvironment and present the appropriate biochemical and biophysical cues such as topographies and rigidity to regulate cellular responses. Our research group is interested in studying the interfacial interactions of cells with the extracellular substrate and how to apply this knowledge to stem cell differentiation and tissue engineering applications. In this presentation, nanotopography modulation on cell behaviors for applications in small diameter vascular grafts and corneal tissue engineering will be presented as examples of applying nanotopography in regenerative medicine applications. The nanotopography regulation on adult stem cells and pluripotent stem cells will also be discussed as an example of topography-induced differentiation in the last part of the presentation. In an attempt to understand the sensing mechanisms for nanotopography, we investigated the roles of focal adhesion signaling and cytoskeletal contractility in topography-induced differentiation. The potential mechanisms for topography-induced cell behavior will be discussed.