The world is not flat: organic electronic devices for hosting and monitoring cells in 3D
| Dates: | 17 October 2017 |
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| Times: | 12:00 - 13:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | Department of Materials |
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| How much: | Free |
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| Speaker: | Dr Róisín M. Owens |
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My research program focuses on harnessing the power of engineering for developing in vitro biological models in a synthetic biology approach. By developing both the biological model and the adapted
monitoring methods in parallel, both may be iteratively improved resulting in enhanced systems. I define the latter combination as in vitro systems: an integrated system to monitor human biology in
vitro. Specifically, I have focused on the use of polymeric electroactive materials and devices which bridge a gap between hard inflexible materials used for physical transducers and soft, compliant
biological tissues. The transducer thus becomes a ‘synthetic’ part of the model, allowing transduction and/ or stimulation of biological systems in the least invasive and thus most biomimetic fashion
possible.
In this presentation I will discuss our recent progress in adding to the repertoire of tissue engineers; alongside the well-known biochemical and mechanical cues used to recreate biologically relevant
tissues, we attempt to integrate electrical cues. Electrical cues have a demonstrated role in development, not just for electrogenic tissues, but for all tissues. To enable the trifecta of stimuli necessary
for recreating tissues in vitro, we have generated conducting polymer scaffolds blended with biopolymers such as collagen. I will show evidence that these structures can simultaneously host and
monitor tissues.
Speaker Biography
Dr. Róisín M. Owens received her BA in Natural Sciences (Mod. Biochemistry) at Trinity College Dublin, and her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Southampton University. She carried out
two postdoctoral fellowships at Cornell University, on host-pathogen interactions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology with Prof. David Russell, and
on rhinovirus therapeutics in the Department of Biomedical Engineering with Prof. Moonsoo Jin. From 2009 to2017 she was a group leader in the department of bioelectronics at Ecole des Mines
de St. Etienne, on the microelectronics campus in Provence. Her current research centres on application of organic electronic materials for monitoring biological systems in vitro, with a specific
interest in studying the gut-brain-microbiome axis. She has received several awards including the European Research Council starting (2011), proof of concept grant (2014) and consolidator
(2016) grants, a Marie Curie fellowship, and an EMBO fellowship. In 2014, she became principal editor for biomaterials for MRS communications (Cambridge University Press), and she serves
on the advisory board of Advanced BioSystems and Journal of Applied Polymer Science (Wiley). She is author of 50+ publications.
Speaker
Dr Róisín M. Owens
Role: University Lecturer
Organisation: University of Cambridge, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
Lecture Theatre
Manchester Institute of Biotechnology - John Garside Building
Manchester
