Engineering hydrogels for biomedical applications
Under the mentorship of Professor Jason Burdick at the BioFrontiers Institute, I am developing and learning new technologies related to the synthesis of modified natural polymers, microfluidic design, and in vitro and in vivo assays to fabricate and assess the impact of biomaterials. Granular hydrogels consist of jamming hydrogel microparticles into solids that retain porosity for cellular invasion. My work aims to provide an understanding of how particle shape affects granular hydrogel packing, injectability, cell invasion, and tissue reconstruction.
As part as my postdoc training I am developing pacing approaches to activate cells in cardiomyocyte (CM) microtissues and assess the impact of different conductive polymers on CM electrical activity. This work will provide the background for many of the projects in my future group.
During my Ph.D. training in Dr. Cosgriff-Hernandez’s lab, I developed an injectable hydrogel that cured in-situ in cardiac veins to transform them into an electrode extension. This technology aims to restore proper cardiac pacing using voltages below the pain threshold used in current defibrillation devices. This conductive hydrogel could reach the midmyocardium, allowing pacing of the heart in locations inaccessible to current pacing leads due to their limited flexibility and conformability. This approach could alter the landscape of cardiac rhythm management. This project was done in collaboration with Dr. Razavi and his skillful team at the Texas Heart Institute. The collaboration allowed me to learn about heart electrophysiology and in vivo animal models. During this time, I acquired skills in polymer chemistry, redox chemistries, conductive hydrogels, and hydrogels characterization.
Porous microspheres of different sizes and pore diameters could be used to encapsulate and control the release of growth factors. These microspheres could be incorporated into an injectable bone graft. During this project, I expanded my skillset in engineering biomaterials for therapeutic applications by working with polymer synthesis, emulsion-templated porous scaffolds, in vitro assays and drug delivery.
Nanostructures, kinetics studies and electrochemical cells for energy production. Beyond biomaterials design, my initial research training was focused on catalysis for clean energy fuels. As part of my training in Professor Dumesic's lab I fabricated gold nanostructures for selective oxidation. I built foundational chemical engineering expertise in catalyst synthesis, nanostructures fabrication, materials characterization, and electrochemical cell design.