Measuring 3D Biomaterial Scaffold Microenvironments

Biomaterial scaffolds play a crucial role in tissue engineering strategies by providing a framework for the developing tissue. The application of materials science fundamentals, such as the processing–structure–property relationship, allow for optimization of biomaterial scaffold performance, with the additional dimension of biological response. Cells can sense the properties and chemistry of the culture substrate and alter their functional response. The control of scaffold properties through processing allows scaffold properties to be tailored to the application of interest. In this seminar, I will present my previous work on the development and use of 3D porous natural polymer biomaterial scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications and tumor microenvironment applications with brain, prostate, and breast cancer to evaluate the efficacy of chemotherapies and immunotherapies. I will also present my current work on the characterization of 3D cell shape of stem cells in 3D biomaterial scaffolds for assessing scaffold niche dimensionality and to provide niche metrics that enable comparison of different types of 3D scaffolds. This study uses cells as a measurement system to determine whether or not a scaffold provides a 3D microenvironment for cells.

Biography

Stephen J. Florczyk earned a B.S. degree in Ceramic Engineering in 2004 and a M.S. degree in Biomedical Materials Engineering Science in 2006, both from Alfred University. He earned a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering in 2012 from the University of Washington. He is currently a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He has authored or co-authored 14 articles and one book chapter. His research is focused on the development and processing of natural polymer biomaterial scaffolds to characterize cell-material interaction and for tissue engineering and tumor microenvironment applications. His research has been supported by the National Academies of Science National Research Council and the University of Washington College of Engineering Egtvedt fellowship. He has also received several presentation awards.