Webex Link: http://s.uconn.edu/meseminar

Abstract: Cell therapy is one of the most promising new treatment approaches over the last decades, demonstrating great potential in treating cancers, including leukemia and lymphoma. For example, the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has shown innovative therapeutic effects in clinical trials, leading to a recent approval by FDA as a new cancer treatment modality. However, production of such therapeutic cells is extremely expensive due to the complexity of biomanufacturing processes/systems and the intrinsic patient-to-patient variability. There is an urgent need for research and development for scalable, cost- effective biomanufacturing technologies. One of such technologies is real-time process sensing, monitoring and control. This seminar presents an ongoing research work which aims at developing a real-time process sensing and monitoring technique for an important process step in cell manufacturing: cell expansion. The additively manufactured, impendence-based biosensors developed in this project can measure cell density in a bioreactor during the cell expansion process. A data analytics method is developed and incorporated to enhance the effectiveness of the biosensors for monitoring personalized manufacturing of cells from different patients by eliminating conventional sensor calibration steps. The current results and planned future work will be discussed.

Biographical Sketch: Dr. Chuck Zhang is the Harold E. Smalley Professor at H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering in Georgia Institute of Technology. His current research interests include additive manufacturing, biomanufacturing, cybersecurity for manufacturing, and advanced composite and nanomaterials manufacturing. Dr. Zhang has managed or conducted numerous research projects sponsored by major federal agencies including National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Defense, and Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as industrial companies such as ATK, Cummins, Delta Air Lines, Lockheed Martin and Siemens. He is a fellow of IISE. Dr. Zhang has published over 200 refereed journal articles and 220 conference papers. He also holds 25 U.S. patents.

Webex Link: http://s.uconn.edu/meseminarf90

Abstract: Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) is a multiphysics phenomenon that occurs when moving or deformable structures interact with internal or surrounding fluid flows. The coupling between the dynamics of the fluid and mechanics of the structure often gives rise to unexpected behaviors vital to many science and engineering problems. In this presentation, I will discuss a new computational FSI framework developed based on isogeometric and immersogeometric analysis with application to the modeling and simulation of biomedical and aerospace problems. The fully-coupled FSI formulation is derived using the augmented Lagrangian approach to enforce kinematic and traction constraints and naturally accommodates nonmatching and non- boundary-fitted fluid-structure interfaces. This novel method can make direct use of the CAD boundary representation of a complex design structure and effectively deal with FSI problems involving large deformations of the fluid domain, including changes of topology. The key ingredients to achieving high simulation accuracy will be reviewed. The proposed FSI framework is applied to engineering and science applications at different scales, ranging from studying complex military aircraft tail buffeting due to different angles of attack to understanding prosthetic heart valve leaflet flutter under physiological conditions. The findings and challenges will be shown and discussed in detail.

Biographical Sketch: Ming-Chen Hsu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University. He received his MS degree in Engineering Mechanics from UT Austin in 2008 and PhD degree in Structural Engineering from UC San Diego in 2012. From 2012 to 2013, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at UT Austin before joining Iowa State University. He is the recipient of the 2019 USACM Gallagher Young Investigator Award and is listed as a Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher from 2016 to 2019. He has published over 70 peer- reviewed journal papers and serves on several national and international professional society committees on computational methods and applications. His research focuses on computational mechanics, engineering, and sciences with an emphasis on fluid-structure interaction problems.

Webex Link: http://s.uconn.edu/meseminarf90

Abstract: The high demand for engineering lightweight materials with an optimal strength-toughness balance is driving the research towards the design of innovative materials with great performance. Composites generally represent the best option for structural applications, offering a good stiffness-strength balance, combined with a low weight. However, the reduced toughness of composite materials often represents a limitation for their structural applications. Many researchers tried to overcome this limitation by implementing nature-inspired features into the composite design, leading to a new class of composites with improved toughness: the biomimetic composites. Natural hierarchical materials, indeed, represent a good source of inspiration for new material design. In particular, bone is a promising candidate, showing a great combination of stiffness and strength, a remarkable toughness, and a lightweight structure that provides support to a wide class of animal bodies. The mysterious reason behind seem to lie in hierarchy. This talk will show different case studies of biomimetic composites, inspired by different hierarchical levels of bone tissue and realized by different manufacturing techniques (e.g. 3D-printing additive, lamination). Each case study investigates the effect of a hierarchical sub-structure on the tissue-level properties and behavior, through a combined numerical-experimental approach, highlighting the role of the characteristic structural features on activating specific mechanisms. This research embraces the fundamental understanding of biological structural materials and the effective transferable technologies for the bio-inspired design and fabrication of novel material systems.

Biographical Sketch: Flavia Libonati received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Polytechnic University of Milan in 2013, followed by a postdoctoral associate position in the same university. In 2014, she became Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Polytechnic University of Milan and then in 2019 she was appointed as Associate Professor at the University of Genoa. Since 2014 she is also Research Affiliate at MIT, where she has been Visiting Research Scholar in 2016-2017, and recently appointed Research Affiliate at the Italian Institute of Technology. Her primary research interests are in the field of biological composites and biomimetic materials, with a special focus on the design and manufacturing of bio-inspired multiscale 3D-composite and smart materials for future engineering applications, through a multiscale numerical and experimental approach. She is the recipient of several awards and fellowships and is a member of renowned scientific society.

 

Webex Link: http://s.uconn.edu/meseminarf90

Abstract: Engineered materials that integrate advances in polymer chemistry, nanotechnology, and biological sciences have the potential to create powerful medical therapies. Dr. Khademhosseini’s group is interested in developing ‘personalized’ solutions that utilize micro- and nanoscale technologies to enable a range of therapies for organ failure, cardiovascular disease and cancer. In enabling this vision he works closely with clinicians (including interventional radiologists, cardiologists and surgeons). For example, he has developed numerous techniques in controlling the behavior of patient-derived cells to engineer artificial tissues and cell- based therapies. His group also aims to engineer tissue regenerative therapeutics using water-containing polymer networks called hydrogels that can regulate cell behavior. Specifically, he has developed photo-crosslinkable hybrid hydrogels that combine natural biomolecules with nanoparticles to regulate the chemical, biological, mechanical and electrical properties of gels. These functional scaffolds induce the differentiation of stem cells to desired cell types and direct the formation of vascularized heart or bone tissues. Since tissue function is highly dependent on architecture, he has also used microfabrication methods, such as microfluidics, photolithography, bioprinting, and molding, to regulate the architecture of these materials. He has employed these strategies to generate miniaturized tissues. To create tissue complexity, he has also developed directed assembly techniques to compile small tissue modules into larger constructs. It is anticipated that such approaches will lead to the development of next-generation regenerative therapeutics and biomedical devices.

Biographical Sketch: Ali Khademhosseini is currently the CEO and Founding Director at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation. Previously, he was a Professor of Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering and Radiology at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). He joined UCLA as the Levi Knight Chair in November 2017 from Harvard University where he was Professor at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and faculty at the Harvard-MIT’s Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST), Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and as well as associate faculty at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. At Harvard University, he directed the Biomaterials Innovation Research Center (BIRC) a leading initiative in making engineered biomedical materials. Dr. Khademhosseini is an Associate Editor for ACS Nano. He served as the Research Highlights editor for Lab on a Chip. He is on the editorial boards of numerous journals including Small, RSC Advances, Advanced Healthcare Materials, Biomaterials Science, Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Biomacromolecules, Reviews on Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Materials, Journal of Biomaterials Science-Polymer Edition and Biofabrication. He received his Ph.D. in bioengineering from MIT (2005), and MASc (2001) and BASc (1999) degrees from University of Toronto both in chemical engineering.

Webex Link: http://s.uconn.edu/meseminarf20km

Abstract: Over 250,000 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries occur every year in the United States alone, costing over $1.5 billion dollars in rehabilitation and reconstruction care. However, despite extensive rehabilitation, upwards of 56% of individuals fail to return to previous functional levels years after treatment due to lingering neuromuscular impairments. These impairments result in inactivity and the development of osteoarthritis (OA), osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, which are estimated to cost $62.1 billion, $14 billion, and $316.6 billion, respectively, a year in their own right. Thus, the total cost of these injuries indicates a much bigger problem than we realize. The prevalence of early onset OA in the post-ACL reconstruction population indicates the need for a better understanding of the relationship between neuromuscular control and musculoskeletal dynamics to improve the effectiveness of post ACL injury rehabilitation care. Therefore, the objective of our work is to pioneer new post ACL rehabilitation modalities that produce positive gait adaptation by combining innovative experimental studies, machine learning and computational modeling to engineer novel gait protocols and dynamic braces that better support the knee by engaging muscles during dynamic movement. 

Biographical Sketch: Dr. Kristin Morgan is an Assistant Professor in the Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut. She received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees all in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the University of Tennessee, respectively. She was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Kentucky where she was awarded the Lyman T. Johnson Postdoctoral Fellowship. Dr. Morgan has also been the recipient of a Whitaker International Summer Grant Fellowship and is a National Institutes of Health Program for Excellence & Equity in Research (PEER) Fellow, and a United States Bone and Joint Institute Young Investigator. Dr. Morgan’s research interests are focused on the identification of novel rehabilitation protocols to optimize long-term lower extremity injury outcomes and innovative metrics to identify the restoration of healthy neuromuscular control. Her work has been funded by General Dynamics Electric Boat and the Office of Naval Research.

Abstract: Wajid’s presentation is weirdly titled, “Is Combustion a Dirty Word?” a question that challenges the combustion engineers like himself. In the presentation he will share the experiences from his work at National Research Council Canada and Virginia Tech. Specifically, drawing examples from his contributions to the National Jet Fuel Combustion Program, he will touch upon the dynamics of liquid-fuel combustion in a gas turbine engine and the key fuel properties that significantly affect the combustor performance and emissions characteristics. He will also present his view on the future needs and opportunities with respect to liquid fuels and combustion.

Biographical Sketch: Wajid is a Program Director at the National Research Council Canada. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech, a MSE in Aerospace Engineering from University of Michigan and an MBA in Finance from University of Karachi. Wajid has more than 30 years of experience in the areas of gas turbine maintenance, repair and overhaul, combustion research and teaching. He has authored many well-cited publications and is a member of a number of national and international professional committees and societies. His research interest is on the dynamics of droplets and bubbles, as applicable to aero-engines and many other engineering disciplines. In the last six years, Wajid has held senior management positions directing applied research in the fields of energy and aeronautics and managing technology transfers.

 

Abstract: Tendon and ligament injuries account for 20-30% of all musculoskeletal disorders and are the most common form of non-fatal occupational injury resulting in over 420,000 days away from work each year. A primary cause of tendon degeneration is overuse (i.e., fatigue loading), which produces repeated microscale damage of the load-bearing collagen fibrils as well as the accumulation of atypical matrix components (e.g., cartilaginous, fat, and calcium deposits) that further weaken the tissue and drive the progression of degeneration. Production of these atypical matrix deposits requires the synthetic activity of cells with abnormal (i.e., non-tenogenic) phenotypes. Previous in vitro experiments demonstrate that endogenous tendon stem/progenitor cells (TSPCs) are multipotent and undergo non-tenogenic differentiation in response to mechanical stimuli. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the atypical matrix deposits observed in degenerated tendons are produced by endogenous TSPCs in response to tendon fatigue loading. However, in vitro mechanobiology studies of isolated TSPCs on artificial substrates do not replicate the mechanical stimuli, cell-matrix interactions, and cell-cell communication that are present in the native tendon microenvironment. As a result, there is a fundamental lack of knowledge regarding the response of TSPCs to the local tissue damage induced by tendon fatigue loading.

In this talk, I will present our work investigating how tendon microscale mechanics are altered with tissue damage. I will then discuss how these changes alter the biophysical stimuli (e.g., topography, modulus, strain) presented to tendon cells and how this may affect stem cell behavior. Finally, I will introduce our current work developing an ex vivo model of fatigue-induced tendon degeneration. This model will enable us to identify how TSPCs respond to fatigue damage and altered biophysical stimuli within their native microenvironment. Ultimately, this information will help determine the mechanisms driving tendon degeneration and develop novel treatment strategies to promote tissue repair.

Biographical Sketch: Dr. Szczesny is currently an Assistant Professor at the Pennsylvania State University with a joint appointment in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation. He completed his postdoctoral training in 2017 as an NIH NRSA F32 Fellow and obtained a PhD in Bioengineering in 2015 at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to his doctorate, Dr. Szczesny developed medical implants as a Design Engineer for Aesculap Implant Systems and as a research assistant at the Helmholtz Institute for Biomedical Technology in Aachen, Germany. He obtained a MS in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2005 and a BS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania in 2003. In recognition of his contribution to the field of soft tissue biomechanics, Dr. Szczesny was an ORS New Investigator Recognition Award Finalist, won 1st place in the SB3C PhD competition (twice), and received the Acta Student Award. Dr. Szczesny’s current research examines how cells in tendon sense the mechanics of their local microenvironment (e.g., strains, stiffness) and how their response drives changes in tissue mechanical properties during tendon degeneration, repair, and development. The ultimate goals of this work are to identify the causes of tendon pathology, discover novel therapeutic options, and direct the design of biomaterials that can recapitulate the behavior of native tissue. Furthermore, his research will produce fundamental knowledge regarding the feedback loop between local tissue mechanics and cellular mechanobiology, which is an important contributor to numerous diseases outside orthopaedics, including aortic aneurysms and fibroproliferative disorders.

Abstract: Clinicians and scientists working in the field of regenerative engineering are actively investigating a wide range of methods to promote musculoskeletal tissue regeneration. Small-molecule-mediated tissue regeneration is emerging as a promising strategy for regenerating various musculoskeletal tissues and several small molecule compounds have been recently discovered as potential signaling molecules for skeletal tissue repair and regeneration. However, a major challenge associated with utilizing these small molecules to regenerate a specific tissue/organ is the delivery of the therapeutic compounds directly to the target site to minimize potential systemic side effects. The presentation will focus on our recent work with small molecules that have the capacity to promote osteoblast differentiation and mineralization. Several proactive controlled delivery approaches have been developed in order to minimize off-target side effects of small molecules and will also be discussed.

Biographical Sketch: Dr. Kevin Lo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at UConn Health and an Affiliate Faculty Member in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science at UConn. He also serves as the Assistant Director of Education for the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering at UConn Health. In addition, he has held editorial positions on several prestigious international peer-reviewed journals including PLoS ONE and Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. His broad research interests are regenerative engineering, drug delivery, biochemistry and cellular molecular biology. He has authored more than 45 publications in these areas. Research grants from NIH, NSF, State of Connecticut, UConn School of Medicine, and private foundation have supported his work in the institute. His current research programs include musculoskeletal regeneration using inductive small molecules and osteotropic nanoscale drug delivery systems. He is a board member of the Regenerative Engineering Society of American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). Dr. Lo has led a NSF-funded summer research program to recruit a number of under-representative students to the Connecticut Convergence Institute for hand-on research experience in the areas of biomedical engineering. Dr. Lo is very active in community engagements. He has organized the Kavli Science Café and the Aetna Health Café monthly seminar series programs which aim to bring science and novel healthcare concepts to the local underserved community groups in Connecticut.