Research

Biomaterials are materials designed for biological applications, and encompass a large assortment of soft materials. Often these materials are designed for a particular application. After defining the target chemical, electrical, and mechanical properties, we build, characterize, and assemble these materials to enable the desired application. Our group explores a variety of materials, such as alginate and GelMA, integrate chemical and electrical functionalities by using a wide array of nanomaterials, and introduce processing techniques compatible with the materials.

Hydrogels are highly tunable materials, that can match the mechanical and electrical properties of native tissues. Derived from either natural or synthetic materials, hydrogels can support cell growth on top (2D, 2.5D) or inside (3D) and enable powerful biomaterials. By integrating conductive additives, the electrical properties of the materials can be modified and used to apply exogenous electrical stimulation to modulate cellular behavior

To direct the growth of cellular systems, hydrogels can be directly patterned or integrated into a pre-defined microfabricated elastomeric guiding structure. A ‘maze’ for the cellular growth can be implemented, and the guiding structure can be placed on top of a glass substrate or multielectrode array (MEA) to enable simultaneous live-imaging or monitoring of electrical activity, respectively. We use these systems to create myelinated nerve-on-chip models and to better understand mechanisms of cancer neuroscience.

Implantable electrode arrays are used to diagnose and/or modulate disease(s) in electrically active organs. Existing implants are fabricated with the same materials and processing techniques as the electronics industry to enable precisely patterned electrodes at a high density. However, the materials mismatch between the implant and the target biological tissue often leads to irreversible tissue damage, and loss of device function. We use hydrogels, which match the mechanical modulus and degree of viscoelasticity of biological tissues. These viscoelastic arrays are ultraconformable, and can flow to match then underlying tissue geometry. Currently, we are building Conductive Hydrogel Arrays with Multiple ELEctrodes Optimized for Neurons (CHAMELEON), with both recording and stimulation electrodes.