Characterization of Bioactive Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering

Newell Washburn, Biomedical Engineering and Chemistry

Crosslinked hydrogels based on hyaluronic acid have instrinsic biological activities that are thought to improve the regeneration of missing or damaged tissue. The goal of this project is to characterize cellular responses to peptide-functionalized hydrogels, including cell adhesion, spreading, receptor interactions, and signal transduction. This project is open to students from all majors but preference is given to students with strong backgrounds in molecular and cell biology.