Claudia Loebel
University of Pennsylvania, PA·Biomedical Engineering
Cells in developing or healing tissue constantly read signals from their surroundings, including the extracellular matrix (ECM), the protein scaffold around them. Cells also rebuild that matrix, so cell and matrix shape each other in a loop called dynamic reciprocity (the Bissell model).
- Fields
Biomedical Engineering
Materials Science
Biology
- Topics
extracellular matrix
nascent matrix
cell-matrix interactions
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Dec 2029
What they work on
- Develop new chemistries to change the physical properties of the nascent extracellular matrix in place, inside engineered hydrogels, to control stem and progenitor cell differentiation in 3D cultures.
- Build improved in vitro models of cell-nascent matrix dynamic reciprocity that can be extended to other cellular systems and disease models.
- Create cadherin-mimetic magnetic microgels that apply magnetic forces to cell-cell contacts within organoids and test how these forces guide cell decisions.
- Use matrix-binding magnetic particles to apply forces to the nascent matrix and its integrin contacts, and measure the effects on cell behavior in 3D environments.
More about the research
Lab-grown 3D systems such as organoids, miniature organ-like tissues, and organ-on-chip devices have made these environments easier to control. However, they largely ignore the nascent matrix, the fresh material cells deposit around themselves. This research develops engineering tools to add the nascent matrix to that model and to learn how it guides cell decisions in complex 3D tissue.
Why it matters
More faithful lab models of developing and regenerating tissue could make organoids and organ-on-chip systems better stand-ins for real tissues. These models could also serve as more reliable test beds for new drugs and as a basis for disease models.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Mark Grimes
University of Montana, MT·Biomedical Engineering
Test whether seeding human neural crest stem cells in 3D hydrogel scaffolds with extracellular matrix components identified in organoids makes craniofacial cartilage faster and more reproducibly than self-organizing organoids.
Michael Blatchley
Syracuse University, NY·Biomedical Engineering·Early-career
Test how light-triggered softening or stiffening of a PEG hydrogel matrix changes the cell-type makeup and maturation of iPSC-derived intestinal epithelial organoids over time.
Ovijit Chaudhuri
Stanford University, CA·Biomedical Engineering
Determine the biophysical mechanisms by which hydrogel viscoelasticity, stiffness and adhesiveness affect division of fibroblasts, epithelial cells and mesenchymal stem cells, using alginate hydrogels with independently tunable properties.
The school
University of Pennsylvania: 90 labs on PI Pages, $2.2B a year on research, 750 research doctorates a year.
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