Jessica Weaver
Assistant Professor, School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering
Jessica Weaver is an assistant professor in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering. Her expertise lies in integrating biomaterials, drug delivery, and tissue and immune engineering for the development of functional and immune-protected tissue and cell grafts. Her research focuses on developing safe, translatable technologies with long-term efficacy to widen the applicability of cell therapies to broad patient populations through the elimination of chronic immunosuppression.
Summer 2024
Jenna Materna
Biomedical engineering
Immunomodulatory Trophoblast-derived Extracellular Vesicle (EV) Release from Polyethylene-glycol (PEG) Hydrogels
Extracellular vesicles are believed to contain tolerogenic immunomodulatory factors that can be used to prevent cell-transplant rejection.
Program: GCSP research stipend
Summer 2023
Keven Sepulveda
Biomedical engineering
Analysis of In Vitro Applications of Synthetic Hydrogels to Develop Characteristic Structures for Type I Diabetes Treatments
Optimized hydrogel structures can provide alternative therapy solutions for common chronic conditions like Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.
Program: FURI
Spring 2023
Jarek R. Gryskiewicz
Biomedical engineering
Flow Modeling of Placenta-on-a-Chip
Performing flow modeling of the placenta-on-a-chip will help create a platform that can be used for lab testing.
Program: FURI
Simone Breanna Gohsman
Biomedical engineering
Assessment of Azide Functionalized RGD Binding in Synthetic PEG Hydrogels for Improvement of Encapsulated Cells’ Metabolic Function
Characterizing peptide binding to synthetic hydrogels can improve cell therapy performance for Type I diabetes.
Program: FURI
Spring 2022
Jarek R. Gryskiewicz
Biomedical engineering
Using 3D Printing to Develop a Placenta-on-a-Chip Model
3D printing may be an easy, high-throughput means of generating an on-a-chip platform to study placental mechanisms.
Program: FURI
Keven Sepulveda
Biomedical engineering
Characterization of Adhesive Peptide Binding Efficacy in SPAAC and Michael-Type Addition PEG Hydrogels to Support Encapsulated Pancreatic Islet Cell Viability
Characterizing a hydrogel and comparing it to alternatives can enhance islet cell encapsulation for Type I Diabetes reversal.
Program: FURI
Alfonso Serrano Vicente
Biomedical engineering
Characterization of Trophoblast Derived Exosomes to Engineer an Immunomodulatory Macroencapsulation Device for Cell Therapies
Studying trophoblast-derived exosomes to use in biomaterial delivery systems may enable cell therapy applications for Type 1 diabetes.
Program: FURI
Simone Breanna Gohsman
Biomedical engineering
Viability and Metabolic Function of INS-1E Cells in Synthetic PEG Hydrogels Suitable to Injection Molding Biofabrication
Developing synthetic hydrogels to enable cell encapsulation in complex geometries may improve cell therapy performance for Type 1 diabetes.
Program: FURI
Blake Browning
Biomedical engineering
Expanding Injection Molding Biofabrication to Generate Complex Three-Dimensional Cell Encapsulation Geometries
Expanding injection molding biofabrication will help provide better quality of treatment for patients who need cell-based therapies.
Program: MORE
Nisong Monyimba
Biomedical engineering
Trophoblast-On-Chip Model
Developing a 3D microfluidic culture system to mimic the human placental microenvironment will help perform transplants without suppressing the immune system.
Program: MORE
Fall 2021
Shivani Chandrashekher Swamy Hiremath
Biomedical engineering
Immunomodulatory Exosome Loaded Synthetic Hydrogels for Cell Encapsulation
Designing an immunomodulatory macroencapsulation device utilizing hydrogels for application in islet cell transplantation will help understand immune responses.
Program: MORE
Spring 2021
Camryn Garza
Biomedical engineering
Cell Viability of Insulin-Producing Cells After Injection Into Complex Hydrogel Shapes in Macroencapsulation Device
Designing molding devices for donor islet cells and hydrogels will help restore insulin production for people with type 1 diabetes.
Program: FURI
Fall 2020
Michael Alec Finocchiaro
Biomedical engineering
Incorporating Fluorescent Nanoprobe Emulsions in Hydrogels for Non-invasive Oxygen Measurement
Studying oxygenation within tissue via fluorescent nanoprobes will help improve diabetic insulin treatment.
Program: FURI
Alec McCall
Biomedical engineering
Reproducibility and Extraction of Complex Hydrogel Geometry Fabrication in 3D Printed Injection Molds
A clinically translatable cell encapsulation strategy would enable the widespread application of islet transplantation to treat diabetes.
Program: FURI
Spring 2020
Michael Alec Finocchiaro
Biomedical engineering
Quantification of Tissue Oxygenation to Improve Encapsulated Cell Viability In Vivo
Studying oxygenation within tissues via fluorescent nanoprobes will help develop an alternate treatment to insulin injections.
Program: FURI
Sarah R Brady
Biomedical engineering
Modification of Synthetic Hydrogel Chemistry to Generate Complex Macroencapsulation Device Geometries
Designing complex geometries for PEG hydrogels to encapsulate islet cells will help treat type 1 diabetes.
Program: FURI
Alec McCall
Biomedical engineering
Reproducibility and Completeness of Complex Hydrogel Geometry Fabrication in 3D Printed Injection Molds
A clinically translatable cell encapsulation strategy would enable the widespread application of islet transplantation to treat diabetes.
Program: FURI
Fall 2019
Sarah R Brady
Biomedical engineering
Modification of Synthetic Hydrogel Chemistry to Generate Complex Macroencapsulation Device Geometries
Designing alternative chemistries for hydrogel macrodevices will improve graft survival of Type 1 diabetes islet cell transplants.
Program: FURI
Needs Review
Jenna Materna
Biomedical engineering
Immunomodulatory Trophoblast-derived Extracellular Vesicle (EV) Release from Polyethylene-glycol (PEG) Hydrogels
Extracellular vesicles are believed to contain tolerogenic immunomodulatory factors that can be used to prevent cell-transplant rejection.
Program: GCSP research stipend