New Jersey Center for Biomaterials

Notes
1 Because interdisciplinary training is crucial, close collaborations are emphasized in this program.
2 This overview table is not an exhaustive listing, but is intended to provide the reader with a flavor of the topics available to trainees. The following table represents hypothetical examples of possible research projects. We are providing these examples for the convenience of prospective trainees.
3 Not all listed faculty will be associated with each trainee. The list indicates the many options trainees have in defining their projects and matching up with faculty mentors.

Materials design, synthesis and optimization for medical applications

• Combinatorial design and synthesis of polymer libraries
• Design and use of dendrimers in tissue engineering and drug delivery
• Synthesis and characterization of ceramics and oxides, including hydroxyapatite
• Development of high-throughput assays to characterize physicomechanical properties
• Imaging of nano- and microscale polymer morphology by transmission electron microscopy
• Computational methods of materials design, optimization, and modeling of polymer properties
• Muliphoton confocal microscopy imaging of cell-scaffold interactions and cellular dynamics

Analysis and understanding of cell-material interactions

• ECM structure and function
• Stem cell biology and use of stem cells in tissue engineering
• Computational methods to understand and predict the bioresponse of cells in contact with biomaterials
• Integrin-fibronectin interactions during wound healing, in 3D-culture, and in tissue scaffolds

Translational research projects involving clinicians and/or industrial partners

• Vascular tissue engineering
• Cardiac valve regeneration
• Skin tissue engineering
• Regeneration of peripheral nerve