Mentor Areas
The Gottardi Bioengineering and Biomaterials (Bio2) Lab, the first of its kind dedicated to pediatric airways research, strives to lead the field towards treatment and function restoration for children with otolaryngological disorders. Our research lies at the interface of regenerative medicine, biomaterials science, drug delivery, and cellular and molecular bioengineering. We leverage over 10 years of experience in tissue engineering, orthopaedics, controlled drug delivery, and regenerative rehabilitation to build a program focused on:
- Engineering solutions for airway disorders based on
- Translational tissue engineering and
- Novel preventative drug delivery approaches with accelerated pathway to the clinic;
- Investigating the basic cellular, molecular, and microbiological mechanisms as well as the genetic aspects of ear, nose, and throat damage and healing;
- Developing organ-on-chip and animal models of cartilage, vocal folds, and craniofacial tissues growth, disease, and repair.
Description:
Cartilage Tissue Engineering for Laryngotracheal (Windpipe) Reconstruction: There is a lot of engineered cartilage developed in labs around the world, but very little finds its way to the patients. We have adopted a fast translation approach to reach the clinic in the next 3 years. Our priority target is engineering cartilage for laryngotracheal reconstruction to enable infants and children with subglottic stenosis to breath again without a tracheostomy. For rapid translation, we design scaffolds based on FDA approved materials: starting from the simplest building blocks we build the complexity that drives stem cell differentiation. Moreover, the engineered tissues we develop are based on new stem cell sources that can be harvested with minimally invasive outpatient procedures.
In this project, the students will have the opportunity to learn about 3D printing/bioprinting, cell culture, and materials fabrication. Students will not be directly involved in animal work, but they will have the opportunity to study engineered tissues grown in the lab before they are implanted in animals, and to work with graduate students and postdocs to study how the engineered tissues perform after they are implanted.
Some of the technique we routinely use in the lab are: cell and tissue culture, fluorescence microscopy, histology and immunohistochemistry, real time PCR, mechanical testing and 3D printing. No previous experience in any of these techniques is required.
It is possible to perform research remotely for this project or for one of the other projects in the lab.
We offer:
- A collaborative and open environment that fosters learning and scientific growth.
- An exciting environment where trainee can learn and grow to develop new research directions working with incredible collaborators.
- Individual mentoring to enhance your professional profile and tailored opportunities to support specific professional goals.
- A highly translational focus to address patient-centered medical problems and to push research from bench to bedside.
Preferred Qualifications
We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated undergraduate students with good verbal and communication skills, with interests or expertise in engineering, chemistry, biological sciences, or a related field, who want to join us in our research journey.
Project Website
Learn more about the researcher and/or the project here. Gottardi Lab
Details:
Preferred Student Year
First-year, Second-Year, Junior, Senior
Academic Term
Fall, Spring, Summer
I prefer to have students start during the above term(s).Volunteer
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to volunteers.Paid
No
Yes indicates that faculty are open to paying students they engage in their research, regardless of their work-study eligibility.Work Study
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to hiring work-study-eligible students.