Awarded in 2019
Home Department: Chemical Engineering
Faculty Advisors: Sarah Heilshorn (Materials Science & Engineering) and David Myung (Ophthalmology)

Research Title: Investigation of Stem Cell Regeneration of the Cornea Using Bioorthogonally Crosslinked Hydrogels

Research Description: Corneal stromal stem cells (CSSCs) have the potential to regenerate deeply wounded corneas and restore corneal transparency. However, the lack of technological means to deliver the cells and a limited understanding of the mechanism behind their regenerative potential have stalled clinical translation. Sarah has proposed the development of a bioorthogonally crosslinked, collagen-based material system to encapsulate and deliver CSSCs to the ocular surface without interfering with the existing processes of the eye. This materials platform avoids the confounding effects from traditional cross-linking chemistries reacting with biological systems, thus helping us determine the key regulators of CSSC phenotype.

WHERE IS SHE NOW?

Sarah is a research scientist at Gilead Sciences.