DMSE Spring Seminar Series: Sidi Bencherif

Description

Sidi Bencherif, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University, will give a talk titled "Engineering Injectable Cryogels for Biomedical Applications: from Tissue Engineering to Immunotherapy" for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

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Abstract:

For a number of biomedical applications, including cell therapy and tissue engineering, there has been an increasing need to engineer advanced three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds to provide structural and mechanical support for cells and guide tissue regeneration. Engineering injectable biomaterials have become a promising approach for scaffold implantation into the body while avoiding open surgery and post-surgery complications. To that end, we unveiled a breakthrough technology for the delivery via a conventional needle–syringe injection of large preformed macroporous hydrogels called cryogels with well-defined properties. Our 2012 publication (Bencherif et al. PNAS) disclosing the first cryogel scaffold to be injected through a hypodermic needle while recapitulating aspects of the native cell microenvironment has sparked massive interest in the field. These injectable cryogels in the form of elastic sponge-like matrices are prepared by environmentally friendly cryotropic gelation of water-soluble polymers, giving rise to 3D scaffolds with unique properties, including shape-memory properties and complete geometric restoration once introduced in the body. Cryogels displaying an interconnected macroporous structure can be molded to a variety of shapes and sizes and may be optionally loaded with therapeutic agents or cells. These cryogels with unique features have created a new class of injectable biomaterials applicable for various applications, including tissue engineering, drug delivery, cell transplantation, cancer immunotherapy, and more recently COVID-19 vaccine research and development.