The focus of our research is on engineering functional human tissues, by an integrated use of stem cells (the actual "tissue engineers"), biomaterial scaffolds (cell-instructive templates) and bioreactors (culture systems designed to regulate tissue development). Our long-term goals are to engineer tissue grafts for application in regenerative medicine, develop enabling technologies for stem cell research, and design high-fidelity models for studies of tissue development, remodeling and disease. Our lab is also the Bioreactor Core of the NIH Tissue Engineering Resource Center (TERC). We are the leading member of the Functional Imaging Core for Stem Cell Research founded by the NYSTEM.