news

First author papers from Dilara, Ali, and Connor...and more new publications!

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 05:11:00 +0000

First author papers from Dilara, Ali, and Connor...and more new publications! Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 06/22/2022 - 23:11

It's been a productive few months, with eleven new publications since our last update in February. A quick overview of these articles:

At the beginning of March, group alumnus Ben Carberry's final manuscript was published in Macromolecules. In this work, he elucidated the degradation kinetics of thioester-crosslinked hydrogels and found interesting deviations from model predictions that demonstrate how dynamic covalent chemistries can be usefully implemented to accelerate stimuli-initiated degradation. Read more: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02396

A few days later, in a related article, Bowman group graduate Shafer Soars (with help from Anseth MD-PhD student Bruce Kirkpatrick) published in Polymer International on novel self-immolative PEG-poly(thioester) hydrogels: https://doi.org/10.1002/pi.6388

Later in March, grad student Max Yavitt published a perspective on controlling organoid growth with photoadaptable materials in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering with co-authors Bruce and Michael Blatchley (postdoc): https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c01450

We kicked off April in style with grad student Dilara Batan's first first-author paper in the group, published in FASEB Journal. Dilara, along with former postdocs Megan Schroeder and Brian Aguado and current grad student Mark Young, used hydrogel cultures to reveal variably stiffness-responsive influences of the stretch-sensitive ion channel TRPV4 on the fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition in valvular interstitial cells: https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.202101863R

To add to the April celebrations, Kristi organized a special issue of Advanced Healthcare Materials in honor of Nicholas Peppas and contributed an editorial highlighting his achievements and contributions: https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202200412

Max and Michael contributed to a fantastic review from the Burdick lab (our new lab neighbors!) in Cell Stem Cell on studying and controlling spatiotemporal cellular processes with hydrogels: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2022.03.013

Postdoc Varsha Rao (accompanied by group alumni Marissa Wechsler and Alex Caldwell, members of the Donahue group at UMass Amherst, and current student Bruce) published in Acta Biomaterialia. Varsha found that clustered MSCs from ovariectomized mice significantly increased their secretion of pro-resorptive factors above baseline, demonstrating potential regulation of post-menopausal bone disease by cell-cell contacts: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2022.04.023

In May, postdocs Michael and Laura Macdougall and MD-PhD students Bruce and Nat Skillin presented work at MRS Spring 2022 in Honolulu. Additionally, graduate student Ali Borelli published her first first-author paper in Advanced Healthcare Materials! With collaborators Mark, Bruce, Varsha, and others, Ali demonstrated that stress relaxation in hybrid PEG-HA hydrogels controls ECM deposition and phenotype in MSCs: https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202200393

June has been busy! To start, Laura (assisted by postdoc Tim Hoffman from the Spencer lab and Bruce) published in Advanced Materials on controlling biological activity and the cell cycle using bio-orthogonal and reversible intracellular hydrogelation. A true tour-de-force from Laura and a culmination of years of effort on the DARPA biostasis project: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202202882

Alumna Megan's final manuscript was published in Bioengineering & Translation Medicine. With help from Dilara and Bruce, as well as undergrads Kelly and Grace and a suite of group alumni, Megan developed a 3D model of sex-specific aortic valve disease and demonstrated that the bone sialoprotein osteopontin plays a role in the sexually dimorphic phenotypes that are observed in men and women (despite similar disease severity): https://doi.org/10.1002/btm2.10358

Finally, lab manager Connor published his first first-author paper today in Small. Co-authored by Nat, Bruce, Varsha, and undergrad Grace, this work introduces a new approach for fabricating granular hydrogels using various chemistries that are responsive to semi-orthogonal stimuli. These annealed microgel scaffolds were degraded in a logic-gated manner and used to culture cells in 2.5D and 3D with high viability across large size scales that are incompatible with encapsulation in bulk networks: https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202200951

Congratulations to everyone who worked on these projects, and especially newly-minted first authors Dilara, Ali, and Connor!

Traditional

White

Michael and collaborators introduce PhASE-ExM for super-res imaging of organoids

Anonymous — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 03:21:50 +0000

Michael and collaborators introduce PhASE-ExM for super-res imaging of organoids Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 02/26/2022 - 20:21

Postdoc Michael Blatchley and group alumnus Arda Günay recently published a new approach for expansion microscopy of organoids in Advanced Materials. In this work, they utilize the covalent adaptable allyl sulfide chemistry to exchange fluorescently labeled biomolecules between an initial gel used for tissue clearing with an expandable gel to physically enlarge the sample and enable super-resolution imaging. Congratulations, Michael, Arda, and collaborators! Read more at the journal site.

Traditional

White

New articles! Jason and Arda publish in Biomaterials, Ben and Max publish in Biofabrication

Anonymous — Sun, 12 Sep 2021 21:36:31 +0000

New articles! Jason and Arda publish in Biomaterials, Ben and Max publish in Biofabrication Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 09/12/2021 - 15:36

Congratulations to authors Jason Silver (former MD-PhD student) and Arda Günay (former postdoc), as well as Benjamin Carberry and Max Yavitt (current graduate students) for their respective publications in Biomaterials and Biofabrication.

Read more from Jason and Arda about how BAG3 and the Hippo pathway control myoblast mechanotransduction and YAP/TAZ nuclear translocation: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.121097

Read more from Ben and Max on using PEG-thioester elastomers as degradable scaffolds for micropatterning soft hydrogel substrates: https://doi.org/10.1088/1758-5090/ac1c98

Traditional

White

Cierra, Megan, and Brian review sex differences in cardiac cells in JMCC

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 17:44:06 +0000

Cierra, Megan, and Brian review sex differences in cardiac cells in JMCC Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 07/02/2021 - 11:44

Recent graduate Cierra Walker, postdoc Megan Schroeder, and newly-minted UCSD assistant professor Brian Aguado were published in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology last month. Their review, "Matters of the heart," covers important differences between male and female cardiac cells that result in sexually dimorphic pathogenesis and disease progression. Read more here.

Traditional

White

Cierra elucidates mechanical contributions to epigenetic changes in aortic valve disease in Nature BME

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 18:54:42 +0000

Cierra elucidates mechanical contributions to epigenetic changes in aortic valve disease in Nature BME Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/19/2021 - 12:54

Graduate student Cierra Walker published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering, reporting on chromatin remodeling in response to dynamic changes in substrate modulus. Additionally, Cierra showed that chromatin is more condensed in the myofibroblasts of human patients with aortic valve stenosis compared to healthy controls. Learn more at the journal site: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-021-00709-w.

Traditional

White

Laura and Bruce publish on photoclick chemistry in Chemical Reviews

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 23:00:38 +0000

Laura and Bruce publish on photoclick chemistry in Chemical Reviews Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/09/2021 - 17:00

Congratulations to postdoctoral researcher Laura Macdougall and graduate student Bruce Kirkpatrick for the release of their new article "Photoclick Chemistry: A Bright Idea." Along with authors from the Bowman lab, Laura and Bruce review photo-catalyzed click reactions and their applications — read more at the journal site.

Traditional

White

Varsha demonstrates macrophage polarization control using hMSC-inspired microgel scaffolds

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 02:38:46 +0000

Varsha demonstrates macrophage polarization control using hMSC-inspired microgel scaffolds Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/23/2021 - 20:38

Varsha Rao and recently-graduated Dr. Alex Caldwell published this month in Bioengineering & Translational Medicine, utilizing their bio-click porous microgel scaffolds to co-culture hMSCs with macrophages (and subsequently control macrophage phenotypes). Learn more at the journal site: https://doi.org/10.1002/btm2.10217.

Traditional

White

Ben Richardson and Cierra investigate the effects of dynamic loading and viscoelastic matrices on chondrocytes

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 16:04:27 +0000

Ben Richardson and Cierra investigate the effects of dynamic loading and viscoelastic matrices on chondrocytes Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 03/19/2021 - 10:04

Congratulations to recent doctorate recipient Benjamin Richardson and current graduate student Cierra Walker, who published yesterday in Advanced Healthcare Materials on using dynamic compression bioreactors and viscoelastic culture matrices to recapitulate the load-bearing and stress-relaxing 3D nature of native cartilaginous tissue. Read more at the journal site.

Traditional

White

Jason and Arda publish on muscle mechanobiology in Science Advances

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 17:02:09 +0000

Jason and Arda publish on muscle mechanobiology in Science Advances Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/16/2021 - 11:02

Following his outstanding recent thesis defense, graduate student Dr. Jason Silver (alongside postdoctoral researcher Dr. Arda Günay) published this week in Science Advances on YAP/TAZ mechanotransduction-mediated activation of muscle satellite cells following injury. (Read the full article.)

Traditional

White

Congratulations to Varsha for taking first place in the 2021 ��ֱ�� Boulder Three Minute Thesis Competition!

Anonymous — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 02:50:10 +0000

Congratulations to Varsha for taking first place in the 2021 ��ֱ�� Boulder Three Minute Thesis Competition! Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 02/25/2021 - 19:50

Graduate student Varsha Rao won the ��ֱ�� Boulder Three Minute Thesis Competition on February 16th. Her entry, "Movie Sets for Cells," captivated the judges and audience alike for its remarkable distillation of the intricacies of intercellular signaling at sites of repair and regeneration in the body (in just 180 seconds!); in taking first place, Varsha received $1,500 in research funds and will compete in the regional Western Association of Graduate Schools virtual competition on March 24. Read more about the competition and the runners-up.

Traditional

White

news

First author papers from Dilara, Ali, and Connor...and more new publications!

Congratulations to everyone who worked on these projects, and especially newly-minted first authors Dilara, Ali, and Connor!

Michael and collaborators introduce PhASE-ExM for super-res imaging of organoids

New articles! Jason and Arda publish in Biomaterials, Ben and Max publish in Biofabrication

Cierra, Megan, and Brian review sex differences in cardiac cells in JMCC

Cierra elucidates mechanical contributions to epigenetic changes in aortic valve disease in Nature BME

Laura and Bruce publish on photoclick chemistry in Chemical Reviews

Varsha demonstrates macrophage polarization control using hMSC-inspired microgel scaffolds

Ben Richardson and Cierra investigate the effects of dynamic loading and viscoelastic matrices on chondrocytes

Jason and Arda publish on muscle mechanobiology in Science Advances

Congratulations to Varsha for taking first place in the 2021 ����ֱ�� Boulder Three Minute Thesis Competition!

Congratulations to Varsha for taking first place in the 2021 ��ֱ�� Boulder Three Minute Thesis Competition!