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Peptide-based materials for soft tissue and organ repair
November 27, 2023 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EST
Emilio I. Alarcóna,b*
aUniversity of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology,. bUniversity of Ottawa Heart Institute, Cardiac Surgery, Ottawa, Canada.
Abstract
Bioinspired synthetic materials offer reliable and cost-effective access to biomaterials. However, the use of potentially toxic chemical crosslinkers for matrix assembly added to the limitations in finely tuning their mechanical properties and post-functionalization have hindered clinical translation of those materials. In this talk, we will present our team findings on the development of materials prepared using custom designed peptides to in situ assemble 3D matrices whose physical properties can be customized to treat skin wounds, corneal perforations and cornea reshaping, and to act as a delivery platform of therapeutics for treating infarcted myocardium. Our findings indicate that peptides can be effectively used as building blocks for developing biomaterials for treating damaged soft tissues, which could reduce the burden linked to use animal derived proteins, and further opens the door for more precise engineering of the constructs.
Monday November 27th, 2023
2-3PM
CCBR Red Room
Host: Milica Radisic, m.radisic@utoronto.ca
Short Biography:
Dr. Emilio I. Alarcón is Associate Professor, University of Ottawa and Scientist, University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Dr. Alarcón’s work studies the use of peptides for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Dr. Alarcón’s research seeks to understand how peptide structure and functions can be used to create biomaterials with augmented biological properties for tissue and organ repair. He has published +100 peer-reviewed papers, most of which in high quality journals with broad audiences (ACS Nano, Advanced Functional Materials, Nature Communications, Science). The scope and transformative potential of his research has been awarded with significant grant funding (totaling >$5M) from the largest federal agencies in Canada. He has received several awards including NanoOntario and Canadian Biomaterials Award (ECR) to name some.
Presenting Author Details: Dr. Emilio I. Alarcón
Email: ealarcon@uottawa.ca
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilio-alarcon-76668b46/
Website: https://beatsresearch.com/