Research

My research interests focus on understanding the mechanisms of tissue regeneration and guiding the process using the tools of biomaterial design for drug delivery. During my doctoral research at Rutgers University, I successfully directed stem cell differentiation and mineralization on a microscopic scale by covalently patterning growth factors into polymer substrates (White and Olabisi, 2019). I also developed an electroactive hydrogel showing a high degree of electromotive force and cell compatibility (Browe et al., 2017; Gupta et al., 2021). My postdoctoral work at UC Irvine focuses on novel stem cell-based therapies targeting third degree burns. Through these therapies, we can probe the underlying mechanisms of wound healing by characterizing cell-to-cell signaling within hydrogel substrates. In the preliminary research that will come with me, I am developing additive manufacturing techniques to encapsulate cells and bioactive compounds in well-defined, repeatable, three-dimensional structures to further probe cellular interaction at the tissue-biomaterial interface.

A driving motivation for my research is to circumvent the burst release phenomenon plaguing many hydrogel drug delivery systems whereby the therapeutic is rapidly dispersed and diffused away from the target site upon application. This results in high local and systemic dosages, often thousands of times higher than physiological levels, and a short half-life as the therapeutic is cleared by the liver or kidneys. My work centers on the incorporation of therapeutics directly into the structure of scaffolds to prolong exposure, reduce dosage spikes at the site of tissue regeneration, and direct microstructural regeneration of multiple tissue structures.

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