Studies in the Desai laboratory focus on the design, fabrication,
and use of advanced micro/nano biosystems for cellular integration and tissue engineering, biomimetic architectures for functional biomaterials,
and therapeutic drug targeting and delivery. For example, studies are being conducted to
investigate the role of structural mechanics in regulating biochemical pathways,
biological adhesion phenomena, cytoskeletal deformation and active cellular motility.
Motivating these fundamental studies is the development of novel materials that mimic
the interfacial and structural properties of natural biomaterials. The Desai lab is designing
templates to achieve cardiomyocyte attachment and orientation in dynamic environments and
have applied microfluidic biopolymer patterning to design multicellular and multilayered
vascular analogues. The potential of using such techniques to recreate hierarchical tissue
architecture makes this an exciting tool for cellular and tissue engineering and for
engineering microenvironments to modulate stem cells. The lab is also interested in novel
approaches to deliver drugs to specific cells via targeting. Examples include lectin-conjugated
microdevices for oral delivery and neurotransmitter-conjugated nanoparticles for neuronal targeting.
Selected Publications
Sarah Tao, et al. Survival, migration and differentiation of retinal progenitor cells transplanted on micro-machined poly(methyl methacrylate) scaffolds to the subretinal space, Lab Chip. 2007 Jun;7(6):695-701.
Ketul Popat, Lara Leoni, Craig Grimes, and Tejal A. Desai. Influence of Titania Nanotubular Surfaces on Bone Cells. Biomaterials 2007 Jul;28(21):3188-97.
Kristen LaFlamme, Craig Grimes, and Tejal Desai. The effects of cell density and device arrangement on the behavior of macroencapsulated beta cells. Cell Transplantation: The Regenerative Medicine Journal, November 2007
Sarah Tao and Tejal Desai. Aligned arrays of biodegradable poly(e-caprolactone) nanowires and nanofibers by template synthesis" Nano Lett. 2007 Jun;7(6):1463-8
Information last updated September 2007
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