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What is
Tissue Engineering?
(a basic introduction with images)
Overview of Our Research at UT-Austin:
We
are working in collaboration with scientists on campus, biomedical companies in
Austin and New Jersey, and with surgeons at the University of Texas Medical
School System in Houston, to better understand and repair tissues in the
nervous and cardiovascular systems. Most of our current research is applied
to the nervous system. In the nervous system, we are analyzing various
biomaterials (e.g., an electrically conducting polymer) that can be used to
specifically stimulate, and guide, nerves to regrow their severed axons. We are
also studying the mechanisms of axon extension and nerve repair so that we can
better design devices to help promote regeneration. Ultimately, nerve guidance
channels (conduits) could be used to aid the repair of damaged peripheral
nerves, such as would be required for facial and hand reconstruction, and
ultimately, could be used to aid the regeneration of damaged spinal cord. In the
cardiovascular system, we have used advanced cell culture approaches and a novel
biomaterial scaffold (acellular vascular tissue) in an attempt to grow a living
blood vessel. This vascular graft could ultimately be used for blood vessel
reconstruction procedures (e.g., coronary artery bypass surgeries).
Current Research Areas:
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RESEARCH DESCRIPTION