My name is Ryan Friedman. I am a 4th year Bioengineering PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the Gottardi Bioengineering and Biomaterials Lab. My thesis research focuses on 1) determining the molecular and mechanical cues regulating airway fibrosis and 2) engineering hydrogel-based drug delivery platforms to promote scarless airway repair. Additionally, I have research interests and experience in decellularized extracellular matrix grafts for accelerated wound healing, peptide-eluting endotracheal tubes, and crosstalk between the upper airway microbiome and immune system during fibrosis. Notable publications:- Ryan M. Friedman, Huy D. Truong, Matthew R. Aronson, Elizabeth A. Brown, Marco Angelozzi, Jeffrey Chen, Karen B. Zur, Véronique Lefebvre, Riccardo Gottardi. (2024). MRTF-A/SRF signaling regulates vocal fold scarring severity by promoting myofibroblast activation. Matrix Biology, Resubmitted.- Ryan M. Friedman, Arielle. S. Brueninger, Matthew R. Aronson, Elizabeth A. Brown, Neil Patel, Lin Han, Karen B. Zur, Riccardo Gottardi. (2024). Age-related remodeling of the vocal fold extracellular matrix composition, structure, and biomechanics during tissue maturation. Connective Tissue Research.- Alexandra A. Dumas*, Ryan M. Friedman*, Kyra W.Y. Smith, Riccardo Gottardi. (2024). Breathing Room: Toward Next Generation Tracheal Engineering. Cell Stem Cell. *Authors contributed equallyNotable awards:- NSF GRFP Fellow, National Science Foundation (2021)- Most Promising Pediatric Medical Device, Pennsylvania Pediatric Medical Device Consortium (2024)- 2nd Place Business Competition, Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society - >3 Travel Awards for various conferences (Keystone Symposium on Fibrosis, TERMIS, ASMB)Please see below for my google scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=tsdgt_4AAAAJ&hl=en&authuser=1