CBE Seminar: Daniel Heath

Biomaterials: From blood compatibility to stem cell expansion

Abstract

Biomaterials are critical toward the development of successful biomedical devices and tissue engineering scaffolds.  In this talk, we will discuss the design, fabrication, and utilization of biomaterials for two specific applications: blood contacting biomedical devices and substrates for improved expansion of mesenchymal stem cell.  In particular we will describe methods of producing polymeric materials that promote a confluent and functioning endothelial cell layer, and the development of extracellular matrix-derived materials that help maintain the potency and phenotype of mesenchymal stem cells during culture. 

Bio

Daniel Heath received his PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in 2010 from The Ohio State University where he worked on the development of novel biomaterials for small diameter vascular graft applications.  Following his time in Ohio, he then held postdoctoral positions at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Centre and at MIT where he focused on developing micropatterned cell culture substrates for in situ and high throughput clonal analysis of rare cell populations.  He began as a Lecturer at University of Melbourne in 2014 where he has continued to focus on themes related to cardiovascular biomaterials and mesenchymal stem cells.