Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering

One of the great advances of the past 20 years in medicine and biology has been the identification of the specific molecular components of important cell functions and disease states, along with the ability to manipulate and harness cell behaviors. UVa faculty in cellular and molecular bioengineering is in the vanguard of new approaches to integrate this wealth of information to rationally understand disease progression and to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

A prominent area of research by the BME group is cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion. These molecular level interactions are vital to many processes in inflammation, cancer, atherosclerosis, blood flow regulation, and tissue regeneration and are being studied in this context. The performance of aggregates of proteins is another highly challenging problem being addressed at several levels: molecular motor function, energy landscapes of protein-protein interactions, cytoskeletal network remodeling in response to mechanical force, and gene expression in response to blood flow. With quantitative knowledge of these processes, BME faculty and students are also designing novel therapeutic approaches for drug and gene delivery that hinge upon the use of tailored protein patterns on surfaces, microbubbles with adhesive ligands, and mechanical disruption of endothelial cells. The work is enhanced by active collaborations with a nanotechnology and microfabrication center at UVa, as well as outstanding cell biology and vascular biology groups.

Primary Faculty

Brett Blackman: endothelial cell mechanotransduction, epigenetic factors regulating vascular cell differentiation & phenotype

Edward Botchwey: polymeric biomaterials, musculoskeletal tissue engineering, and vascular remodeling

Brent French: molecular bioengineering of cardiac and vascular tissues in vivo

Will Guilford: laser trap measurement of protein bond pair dynamics, molecular motor function, motor protein motility

Brian Helmke: intracellular mechanics and signaling, extracellular matrix assembly, nanotechnology tools for engineering cell structure and function

Kevin Janes: intracellular control of epithelial morphogenesis and homeostasis; cancer-cell engineering

Michael Lawrence: thrombosis, cell adhesion & protein bond mechanics, drug delivery

Jason Papin: cell-cell signaling network reconstruction and analysis; pathogen-host interactions

Shayn Peirce: combinations of angiogenic growth factors in microvascular remodeling

Thomas Skalak: multisignal molecular circuits and cell lineages controlling blood vessel remodeling

Affiliated Faculty

Gregory Helm: gene therapy techniques for the treatment of neurosurgical disorders

Martin Schwartz: signal transduction by integrins, endothelial migration & angiogenesis, mechanotransduction

Brian Wamhoff