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Design and characterization of cell-interactive biomaterials in orthopedics and wound healing
Stager, Michael A.
Stager, Michael A.
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2023
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Abstract
The field of biomaterials encompasses an area of medical research that focuses on the design, characterization, and implementation of materials which interact with the human body. This thesis outlines the development of natural and synthetic biomaterials which can interact with the cellular microenvironment to elicit a desired response. For example, material stiffness, geometry, or charge profile could be tuned to direct cells towards a specific behavioral outcome. In orthopedics, an injectable polyelectrolyte complex hydrogel was designed to mitigate the osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells which occurs during growth plate injuries. This injectable hydrogel also exhibited sustained release of short interfering RNA targeting the p38-MAPK pathway, further knocking down osteogenic gene expression in stem cells. Additionally, this thesis presents on the development and application of high-throughput and emulsion-free chitosan microgels which can be used for sustained drug release applications. In the wound healing realm, this thesis presents on the development of photopolymerized zwitterionic hydrogels which have many ideal characteristics for wound healing materials. These hydrogels also exhibit a novel self-initiated photopolymerization mechanism and exhibit inherent anti-inflammatory effects in vitro. The works outlined herein describe progress made in the development of cell-interactive biomaterials which exhibit sustained release of bioactive molecules. These works have furthered the understanding of cell-microenvironment interactions and contributed to the development of next-generation biomaterials that are viable for clinical translation.
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