ABOUT THE SEMINAR

Bioinspired Materials for Tissue Regeneration

Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches for rebuilding damaged or diseased tissues have shown promise. This presentation will describe studies examining the influence of biomaterials on stem cell behavior with an emphasis on identifying biomaterial properties and designs that impart appropriate cues to stem cells and other cell types to affect their behavior both in vitro and in vivo. Recent results using bioinspired materials, specifically piezoelectric materials that provide electromechanical cues to stem cells and other cell types, will be presented.

In new work, protein-based biomaterials were processed to become piezoelectric and properties tuned to affect cell behavior. Findings demonstrating stem cell differentiation and tissue formation using novel glycosaminoglycan mimetics, which are polysaccharides that sequester and prolong the bioactivity of growth factors, will be presented. These biomaterials and their potential use for orthopaedic and neural applications will be discussed. 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Treena Arinzeh, Ph.D., Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University

Treena Livingston Arinzeh, Ph.D. is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University. She is also a co-leader of an Integrated Research Thrust (IRT) and the Director of Diversity of the NSF Science and Technology Center for Engineering Mechanobiology (CEMB), which is a multi-institutional center led by the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Arinzeh received her B.S. from Rutgers University in Mechanical Engineering, her M.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. 

She was a project manager at the stem cell technology company, Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. and joined the faculty of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) as one of the founding faculty members of the department of Biomedical Engineering. She served as interim chairperson and graduate director and was promoted to Distinguished Professor in 2020, which is the highest faculty rank at NJIT. Dr. Arinzeh has been recognized with numerous awards for her research, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). She is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), and the National Academy of Inventors.

ABOUT THE BME SEMINAR SERIES

The Department of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University is proud to host an annual weekly seminar series on the latest developments and research in Biomedical Engineering. The weekly series takes place on Friday mornings at 11:00 AM Eastern and includes a variety of renowned academics from top universities to talk about their specific research and experience. This is a hybrid event.