Treena Livingston Arinzeh
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Cell Sci Ther
Stem cells have become a promising ce ll source in the tissue engineering fi eld. Intense studies have been focused at the cell and molecular biology levels on understanding the relationship between stem cell growth and terminal diff erentiation in an eff ort to control these processes. Recent discoveries have shown that the microenvironment can infl uence stem cell self-renewal and diff erentiation, which has had a tremendous impact on identifying potential strategies for using these cells eff ectively in the body. Th is presentation will describe studies examining the infl uence of biomaterials on stem cell behavior with an emphasis on biomaterials design and chemistry that impart appropriate cues to stem cells to aff ect their behavior. Specifi cally, surface wettability can infl uence stem cell osteogenesis, which is relevant for bone repair applications. Hydrophobic polymers and their use with bioactive ceramics to create bioactive composites have been identifi ed to greatly enhance the expression of bone cell markers. Biomaterial design such as fi ber and pore size dimension can also greatly infl uence diff erentiation. Studies using electrospun polylactic acid (PLLA) having fi ber dimensions varying from the nano to micron- scale infl uenced chondrogenic diff erentiation of stem cells. Th e resulting changes in pore size also had a signifi cant eff ect, but variations in mechanical properties played a minor role. Th e eff ect of electromechanical properties of polymeric materials, specifi cally piezoelectric polymers, on stem cell diff erentiation along bone, cartilage and n eural lineages will also be discussed.
Dr. Arinzeh received her B.S. from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ in Mechanical Engineering, her M.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. She worked for several years as a project manager at a stem cell technology company, Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Arinzeh joined the faculty of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in 2001 as one of the founding faculty members of the department of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Arinzeh has been recognized with numerous awards, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2003, Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2004, Outstanding Scientist Award from the NJ Association for Biomedical Research in 2004, People to Watch in 2005 in The Star Ledger and the Coulter Foundation Translational Award in 2010. Her research support is from the National Science Foundation, Coulter Foundation, Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation, New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology, New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Repair and medical device/biotechnology companies.
