Summary
Our Tissue Engineering and Polymeric Biomaterials Laboratory investigates bone, cartilage, and spinal cord regeneration using synthetic polymeric scaffolds, cells, and controlled delivery of bioactive molecules. We are equipped to perform polymer synthesis and characterization, and scaffold fabrication utilizing injectable techniques and solid free form fabrication techniques. We culture cell-polymer constructs, study delivery kinetics of bioactive molecules from microparticles and microparticle-scaffold combinations, and study these scaffold-cell-biomolecule combinations in vivo. We investigate musculoskeletal sarcoma biology and work on the controlled local delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to osteosarcoma. We have a fully equipped molecular biology and bone histomorphometry laboratory. Our focus is on translational research for current clinical needs.