MORE | Fall 2020

Engineering Novel Microbead Encapsulated Three Dimensional Tumor and Stem Cell Models for Regenerative Medicine

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Two-dimensional culture and entrapment of cells have been long studied using ECM-induced, cell-signaling induced, and biochemical-induced modes. But the significant efforts in recent years have demonstrated the advantage of three-dimensional cultures to better mimic the in vivo physiology of cellular structures and interactions. This project aims to engineer A375 NRAS-mutant melanoma and human Mesenchymal Stem Cell spheroids cultured on a hydrogel platform and physically confined by encapsulation in fluorescent-tagged microbeads for applications in bioactive delivery and regenerative medicine.

Student researcher

Tanya Nanda

Biomedical engineering

Hometown: Tempe, Arizona, United States

Graduation date: Fall 2020