This is a past event.

Biomedical Engineering Seminar

Xiaochu Ding, PhD

Department of Chemistry
Michigan Tech University

Abstract

Polymeric biomaterials have advantages of controllable structure and properties, reproducibility and cost-effectiveness for biomedical applications. Therefore, they have played important roles in medical devices and regenerative medicine. In this topic, I will introduce my research with a tie between polymer science and tissue regeneration.

In the first part, I will introduce how to design protein delivery platforms by utilizing natural affinity of heparin to protein protection. The designed delivery platforms can sustainably release heparin-binding proteins with a stabilized structure against proteolysis, and thus enhance therapeutic efficiencies as demonstrated by strong angiogenesis in vivo. In the second part, I will discuss the design of biodegradable and bioresorbable elastomers that are used to engineer resorbable synthetic grafts, a porous conduit for replacement of occlusive small arteries (diameter < 6 mm). The conduit is implanted in a rat carotid artery interposition model for in situ remodeling to generate a native artery-like blood vessel as the polymer is degraded and absorbed by host cells. No complications such as thrombosis, intimal hyperplasia, or infection are observed in the remodeled grafts. In addition, I will also summarize the limitations of the previous designs and propose new solutions for both protein delivery and synthetic grafts.