The MTM Laboratory

Internationally Recognized for Contributions to Cell and Tissue Engineering - The MTM lab develops and utilizes microfabrication tools to precisely engineer the microenvironmental cues around primary and stem cell-derived mammalian cells towards stabilizing their long-term phenotype in vitro for applications in the following key areas: - Drug development (e.g. drug metabolism/toxicity screening) - Disease modeling for novel drug discovery - Regenerative medicine (i.e. cell-based therapies) Public Health Relevance: Tissues and cells can be utilized in long-term experiments to better understand diseases, improve drugs and enhance treatments for chronic conditions. Innovations for Liver Disease Treatments & Therapies The MTM Lab has made significant breakthroughs with the Liver (e.g. drug-induced liver injury, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatitis B virus infection, and cell-based therapies) and we have several publications in that space that are being actively cited in the field. Develop & Utilize Microfabrication Tools The MTM Lab develops and utilizes tools such as protein micropatterning, high-throughput extracellular matrix (ECM) microarrays, and microfluidic platforms to precisely control the microenvironment of both primary and stem cell-derived cells in various culture formats depending on the hypotheses being posed. Our engineered tissues can mimic key aspects of diseases in vitro and elucidate underlying molecular mechanisms of disease progression as a function of cell-cell, cell-matrix, and cell-soluble factor interactions. We are using 3D bioprinting to develop a human liver tissue surrogate that has multiple integrated compartments as in the body. Such a surrogate can have applications in regenerative medicine.