AVS 62nd International Symposium & Exhibition
    Surface Modification of Materials by Plasmas for Medical Purposes Focus Topic Thursday Sessions
       Session SM+AS+BI+PS-ThA

Invited Paper SM+AS+BI+PS-ThA8
Organs on a Chip – Biointerfaces in Stem Cell Research

Thursday, October 22, 2015, 4:40 pm, Room 211D

Session: Plasma Processing of Biomaterials and Biological Systems
Presenter: Kevin Healy, University of California at Berkeley
Correspondent: Click to Email
Highly regulated signals in the stem cell microenvironment such as ligand adhesion density, matrix stiffness and architecture, and growth factor presentation and concentration have been implicated in modulating stem cell differentiation, maturation, tissue formation, and ultimately function. My group has developed a range of materials systems and devices to study and control stem cell function and their self-organization into three-dimensional microtissues (e.g., ‘organs on a chip’). These systems are being developed for screening molecular therapies and patient specific medicine via in vitro disease specific tissue models. Examples of how biointerface science is important in these applications will be highlighted. The benefits of our approach include: 1) robust and reproducible platform embodies precision microengineering to create better microtissue environments; 2) precise delivery of molecules (e.g., drugs) in a computationally predictable manner; 3) ability to model human cardiomyopathy; and, 4) cost efficient and high content characterization of cardiac tissue drug response.