Both cell and tissue engineering are multidisciplinary fields that intersect with engineering, biology and chemistry. Cellular engineering is the study of biology at the cellular level using engineering principles and methods. This field entails studying not only the intracellular workings of cells but also environmental effects on cells along with the impact of cells on neighboring cells and the biological tissue that they are part of. A very active area of research in this field is the effect biomechanical forces have on cells at the cellular level. This includes but is not limited to how biomechanical forces effect gene expression, cell proliferation, cell death, migration, morphology plus secretion of extracellular factors that modulate neighboring cells and tissue characteristics. In addition, because cell adhesion and motility are two critical factors in determining tissue integrity and function, elucidation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate cell adhesion and motility is fundamentally important for tissue engineering. One of the techniques to control cell/tissue homeostasis exploits the use of externally applied physical stimuli (mechanical and electrical) to manipulate cellular responses. Detailed understanding of coupling mechanisms regulating cell adhesion and motility is likely to lead to improvements in designing engineered tissues. The discoveries made by cellular engineers are important for developing a fundamental understanding of how cells work and are applicable in several fields. In the field of medicine the results will be instrumental in the development of new treatment plans for diseases and pathological conditions. In the field of tissue engineering they aide in developing appropriate strategies for regenerating biological tissues.

Tissue engineers combine the principles and methods of engineering and biology to develop biological constructs that will lead to the regeneration of a tissue in the body, or restore its function.To accomplish this engineers combine together cells, biological factors, and scaffolding materials based on the current knowledge of how biological systems work to create biological constructs. The goal is for these constructs to either restore the biological function of a missing or malfunctioning tissue to the body or stimulate the body to regenerate the tissue. Cell and tissue engineering are very complementary to one another as research in these fields often blends together. For example cellular engineers using engineered scaffolds to study how cells adhere to surfaces and the impact the characteristics of the surface can have on cellular process such as cell proliferation and migration. Tissue engineers then use this knowledge to determine how best to coat the surface of their scaffolds to stimulate cells to perform as they desire.

The goal of the cell and tissue engineering curriculum at UIC is to train students to be future leaders in these fields with a multidisciplinary approach focusing more specifically on the molecular interface. The current curriculum emphasizes not only engineering fundamentals in biotransport and biomaterials, but also significant exposure to cell and molecular biology, immunology, and biochemistry. The new courses we have developed and are developing focus on the effect of mechanical forces at the cellular level and the design, fabrication, and characterization of biocompatible and biofunctional interfaces of tissue engineering constructs. These students will be well prepared for careers not only in cell and tissue engineering, but also biotechnology, biopharmaceutics, and biomedical device/materials design. Emphasis in our interfacial cell and tissue engineering program will be placed on the role of nanoscopic and atomic/molecular processes in determining the macroscopic properties of cells and tissue engineering constructs. Faculty members at UIC are currently pursuing cell and tissue engineering research in areas such as bio-mechanical cellular engineering, cardiac tissue engineering, blood substitutes, wound healing, nanoscale receptor dynamics, and molecular signaling. We hope to bring in additional faculty members who will expand our current research areas, and develop new courses in biomolecular tissue engineering and biointerfacial design and characterization.

Cell & Tissue Engineering Faculty List