Wendy Liu, Ph.D. | biocon2030

Wendy Liu, Ph.D.

Professor of Biomedical Engineering

University of California, Irvine

Speech Title:

Engineering biomaterials to control immune function in tissue repair and regeneration

Abstract:

The body’s response to biomaterials remains a critical challenge for implanted medical devices. Understanding this response and developing better biomaterials requires a multidisciplinary approach involving methods from materials engineering and biology. Our laboratory combines microscale technologies with molecular engineering to control the physical and chemical properties of biomaterials and modulate their interactions with the immune system. In particular, we are interested in interactions between biomaterials and macrophages – versatile and powerful regulators of the immune system and key regulators of wound healing and tissue repair. In this talk, I will describe how these tools have helped us understand how biophysical cues such as material geometry and stiffness regulate macrophage inflammation versus tissue repair. In addition, we have recently identified several key molecules that mediate mechanotransduction in macrophages, offering the potential to target mechanosensitive signaling pathways and modulate immune function. Using these approaches, our ultimate goal is to create biomaterials that control local immune cells and thus mitigate the host response to implanted devices.

Bio:

Wendy Liu is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California Irvine. She also holds appointments in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Departments, and is a core faculty member of the UCI Edwards Lifesciences Foundation Cardiovascular Innovation Research Center (CIRC) and member of the Institute for Immunology. Wendy earned her B.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT in 2000 and her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering the Johns Hopkins University, where she was a National Science Fellow and doctoral work was completed in the laboratory of Dr. Christopher Chen. Following her Ph.D., Wendy completed postdoctoral positions at Arsenal Medical Inc. and at MIT, with Dr. Robert Langer. Wendy’s current research interests are focused on immune engineering, mechanobiology, and biomaterials for wound healing and tissue engineering. Wendy’s work has been recognized by a number of awards including a National Institutes of Health New Innovator Award, the BMES-CMBE Rising Star Award, and the UCI HSSoE Junior Faculty Research Award. She was recently elected as a fellow into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.