Home Department: Materials Science and Engineering
Supported by: The Rose Hills Foundation
Mentor: Fan Yang, Bioengineering and Orthopaedic Surgery
Michelle Nii is a rising senior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering. For the past year and a half, Michelle has been applying her materials science knowledge towards bioengineering goals in the Yang lab. She works on optimizing high-throughput platforms, focusing specifically on microenvironments for differentiating stem cells by controlling environmental cues from both the extracellular matrix components and material properties (such as pore size and matrix rigidity) this summer. The ultimate goal is a better understanding of the complex interplay of microenvironment signals to create better materials that promote differentiation for tissue regeneration purposes.
Poster presented at the Stanford Bio-X Interdisciplinary Initiatives Symposium on August 17, 2011:
Engineering Biomimetic Hydrogels to Enhance Vascular Differentiation of Human Stem Cells
Michelle Nii1, Anthony Behn2, Fan Yang2,3
[Departments of Materials Science & Engineering1, Orthopedic Surgery2, and Bioengineering3; Stanford University]
Home Department: Materials Science & Engineeringbr> Supported by: Rose Hills Foundation
Mentor: Fan Yang, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and of Bioengineering
Michelle Nii is a rising junior pursuing a bachelor‟s degree in Material Science and Engineering. During her sophomore year, Michelle started applying her material science knowledge towards bioengineering goals in the Yang Lab. Currently, she is working on determining the best microenvironment for differentiating adipose-derived stem cells into bone by controlling environmental cues from both the extracellular matrix components/growth factor signaling and the material properties (such as pore size and matrix rigidity). The ultimate goal is a better understanding of the complex interplay of microenvironment signals to create better materials that promote differentiation for tissue regeneration purposes.
Poster presented at the Stanford Bio-X Interdisciplinary Initiatives Symposium on August 25, 2010:
Combinatorial 3D matrices for Optimizing Stem Cell Niche towards Osteogenesis
Michelle Nii, Galym Imanbayez, and Fan Yang
[Materials Science & Engineering, Orthopedic Surgery; Stanford University]
