The Lampe Group develops biomaterials for drug delivery and tissue engineering with a particular interest in the central nervous system.
We aim to understand and re-create the tissue environments that guide neural development and regeneration. To meet the clinical needs of the central nervous system, materials should mimic biophysical and biochemical aspects of the native extracellular matrix. Our long term goal is to develop biomaterial and neural tissue engineering strategies that allow us to probe and understand brain disease-associated degeneration and regeneration. A USOAR student may help 1) Synthesize polymeric hydrogels and fibers, 2) Study the physical behavior of the resulting materials, 3) Characterize neural cell behavior in these hydrogels via imaging and bioassays, and 4) Experimentally measure neural cell damage. This platform will yield important insights regarding stem cell fate and fundamental characterization of material properties in vitro.
Student should demonstrate an inquisitive nature and a team-oriented perspective. Our work relies heavily on chemistry and biology and thus interest in chemistry and biology are expected. Enrolling in introductory chemistry and/or biology courses as a new student to the lab would be advised. Students should have familiarity with Excel. Students should demonstrate a strong commitment to research and be prepared to balance their coursework with this research experience. We value good written and verbal communication skills and will provide training to build them.
Students will learn how to:
• synthesize and process biomaterials
• culture mammalian neural cells
• design and conduct experiments and analyze data
• read and summarize literature related to hydrogels and neural tissue engineering