Pizza, coffee and cookies are served.
For visitors from outside Mason - Parking is best in the Shenandoah Parking Garage ( Bldg. 43 on the campus map). The seminar will be in the Nguyen Engineering Building, Rm. 4201:  http://info.gmu.edu/Maps/FairfaxMap14lttrClr


Bioengineering Seminar
November 18th, 2015 from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
ENGR 4201
Speaker: Srivatsan Kidambi, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln
Seminar title: Engineering matrix based platforms for in vitro models of living tissues

Biography
Srivatsan Kidambi is an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Kidambi received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from University of Madras in India in 1999 and his M.S. degree in Chemistry from Michigan State University in 2002. He obtained his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science from Michigan State University in 2007. In 2007, Dr. Kidambi joined the Center for Engineering in Medicine at Harvard Medical School as a postdoctoral research fellow under the mentorship of Professor Martin Yarmush. Prior to accepting an appointment at UNL, Kidambi worked as a research engineer at the Hitachi Chemical Research Center at Irvine, CA. Dr. Kidambi's group researches on developing in vitro models of tissues (cancer, liver, brain, cardiac) to understand the role of the tissue microenvironment on disease progression. His lab also focuses on engineering liposome based nanoparticles as drug delivery vehicle for miRNA and small drug molecule targeted delivery. Kidambi's group published the first study demonstrating the need for physical intimacy between stromal cells and tumor cells to develop drug resistance pathways (Nature Scientific Reports). Also he has developed in vitro tissue models of liver and brain that mimics the in vivo physiology (PNAS, Adv FuncMaterials). He is also interested in developing miRNA based therapeutics and has published innovative drug delivery platforms capable of temporal and spatial releases of drug combinations (J Biomed Nanotech; Nature Scientific Reports). His lab also has three patents in the works demonstrating the translational viability of the platforms developed in his lab. In 2015, he was selected for the UNL Emerging Innovator Award.

Abstract
Engineering in vitro models that reproduce tissue microenvironment and mimic functions and responses of tissues that is more physiologically relevant represents a
potential bridge to cover the gap between animal models and clinical studies. Our group aims to engineer in vitro models of tissues including cancer, liver, and brain in an effort to understand the role of the tissue microenvironment (physical attributes, cell-cell communication, and ligand density) on the underlying biology of healthy and diseased tissues. These platforms provide an ideal model to delineate the critical but unexplored areas of tissue microenvironment in which the cells reside. Specifically, we have developed matrix-based platforms that recreate the various components of the tissue microenvironment. These components include controlling the cell-cell interactions using patterned co-cultures and recreating the mechanical properties of tissues to provide a snapshot of physiologically relevant stages of the tissues in healthy and disease state. Since tissue function is highly dependent on architecture, we have also used microfabrication methods, such as photolithography and molding, to regulate the architecture of these platforms. Using this strategy we have developed in situ models of breast cancer, liver, and brain. We have also developed clinically translatable nano-size liposome based drug delivery systems for encapsulating drugs ranging from high molecular weight proteins to small nucleic acids including miRNA, which regulates pathways important for disease progression and control. The technologies developed in our lab will have tremendous potential applications in the treatment of various diseases including cancer, liver fibrosis, traumatic brain injury, and development of several classes of therapeutic compounds (drugs, biologics).




Claudia Borke
Academic Program Coordinator
Volgenau School of Engineering, Department of Bioengineering
3800 Nguyen Engineering Building, 1G5
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: (703) 993-4190
Fax: (703) 993-2077