Bioengineering Seminar Spring 2022: Physicochemical properties of extracellular matrix: Key to function, Clue to mechanism

Shyni Varghese, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, and Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University
Abstract: Reciprocal interactions between cells and their microenvironment are fundamental to multiple cellular processes necessary for tissue development, homeostasis, and regeneration. In this talk, I will discuss our efforts to delineate the role of the extracellular matrix on cellular responses relevant to tissue repair and disease progression. First, I will talk about the use of ex vivo platforms to advance mechanistic understandings and identification of new therapeutic targets. Specifically, I will talk about the use of a biomineralized matrix to examine the molecular mechanism by which the mineral environment of the bone tissue supports bone homeostasis. I will also discuss how these studies have led to identification of new therapeutic targets and translatable technologies to treat bone metabolic diseases and delayed fracture healing. Finally, I will talk about our efforts on understanding the role of extracellular matrix in fibrosis and how “normalizing” the matrix could alter the inflammatory response and abrogate the fibrotic phenotype in a mouse model of cutaneous fibrosis.