Abstract
Hydrogels are a promising class of biomaterials that can be tailored to mimic human tissues by modifying the structure of the polymer network to modulate the viscoelastic properties, or by functionalizing the hydrogel with peptides to improve the bioactivity of the gel. Peptides have the added benefit that they can be cleaved cell-secreted enzymes, and which enables cells to modify hydrogels.
We have developed approaches to study dynamic cell-matrix interactions through both the improved characterization of hydrogels during culture and by tuning the molecular structure of gels to understand the significance of different design parameters. The goal of this work is to improve our understanding of how cell-matrix interactions guide fundamental processes including endothelial network formation and stem cell differentiation.
Bio
E. Thomas Pashuck, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Bioengineering
Lehigh University
Dr. E. Thomas (Tommy) Pashuck is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Lehigh University. He joined Lehigh following postdoctoral training on a Marie Curie Fellowship at Imperial College London and working at the New Jersey Center for Biomaterials at Rutgers University. He received his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida and his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University