Harnessing Mechanobiology for Stem Cell Therapy
Department of Biomedical Engineering Special Seminar
"Harnessing Mechanobiology for Stem Cell Therapy"
Jae-Won Shin, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
Harvard University
Abstract: Clinical success with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation establishes a paradigm for regenerative therapies with other types of stem cells. However, developing stem cell therapies for broad clinical uses is often met with challenges, including immunological complications, tumorigenicity, and graft failure due to improper programming and delivery of stem cells. Understanding how niches regulate fundamental stem cell functions could potentially inform strategies to overcome these challenges. Stem cells generate forces and sense both chemical and physical cues emanating from niches. In this seminar, I highlight some key mechanobiological insights that could be relevant to develop novel therapeutic strategies for stem cell therapy. I will first discuss new approaches to program stem cells ex vivo by controlling the polarization of contractile forces during cell division. I will then introduce the concept that nuclear rheology determines how cells migrate through microporous barriers in tissues. Lastly, I will discuss biomaterial-based approaches to improve outcomes of cord blood transplantation and immunomodulation by mechanically controlling the in vivo delivery and secretion of mesenchymal stem cells. The long-term goal of my research is to develop novel strategies for regeneration of various damaged tissues by physical approaches to biomaterial design to program transplanted stem cells in vivo and develop cell-inspired therapeutic particles.
When: Thursday, March 5th, 2015
Place: Becton Seminar Room
Time: 4PM