Title

Biomaterials for Drug Delivery and Cell Transplantation to Treat Nerve Injury

Abstract

The development of biomaterials to serve as scaffolds for wound healing and tissue repair is crucial for successful tissue engineering. My research focuses on developing biomaterials that promote cell survival and/or differentiation after transplantation for the treatment of nerve injury. My lab has developed affinity-based drug delivery systems that sequester growth factors within scaffolds and release growth factors in response to cell in-growth during tissue regeneration. More recently we have combined these scaffolds with embryonic stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells and shown that the combination of fibrin scaffolds and growth factor delivery can enhance cell survival and differentiation of neural progenitor cells transplanted after spinal cord injury. Furthermore, we demonstrated this approach enhanced functional recovery after spinal cord injury, as assessed by gridwalk. In conclusion, fibrin scaffold containing our drug delivery system can serve as a platform for cell transplantation for many applications in regenerative medicine by tailoring the choice of growth factors and the cell type used.

About the Speaker

Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert, Ph.D. is the Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Education in the University of Washington School of Medicine and Professor of Bioengineering. She earned a S.B. in chemical engineering and biology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a M.S. and Ph.D. from California Institute of Technology. Her research program focuses on developing biomaterials for drug delivery and cell transplantation for the treatment of peripheral nerve and spinal cord injury. She was Co-Director of the Center of Regenerative Medicine, as well as a member of the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering at Washington University. Her honors include Senior Scientist Award -TERMIS AM (2023), Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (2017), Society for Biomaterials Clemson Award for Basic Research (2017), Outstanding Faculty Mentor from the WU Graduate Student Senate (2015), WU Distinguished Faculty Award (2013), and WU Dean’s Award for Excellence in Advising and Mentoring (2008). She was elected Fellow of the International College of Fellows in Biomaterials Science and Engineering in 2016, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2015, the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) in 2013, and the and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
(AIMBE) in 2011.