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Tissue Engineering Resource Center (TERC)

Contacts

• Contact Information
• Grant Number
• Research Emphasis
• Current Research
• Resource Capabilities
• TERC Facilities
• References

Contact Information

Tufts University
Bioengineering & Biotechnology Center
4 Colby Street
Medford, MA 02155 
http://ase.tufts.edu/terc

MIT
Division of Health Sciences and Technology
E25-330, 45 Carleton Street
Cambridge, MA

Principal Investigator/Contact
David L. Kaplan, Ph.D.
Phone: 617-627-3251
Fax: 617-627-3231
david.kaplan@tufts.edu

TERC Coordinator
Laura Mirabito
Phone: 617-627-3267
Fax: 617-627-3231
laura.mirabito@tufts.edu

Grant Number

Grant No. EB002520

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Research Emphasis

The Center is designed to advance the fundamental basis and clinical aspects of tissue engineering, to provide training for investigators and dissemination of scientific findings and new techniques. The expertise and facilities are focused on research, problem solving and training for the biomedical community through an integrated systems approach to the challenges in tissue engineering. A Service Core will enable and facilitate the implementation of solutions that would be impossible to attain from a single laboratory due to the diverse and complex skill sets.

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Current Research

Bioinductive Scaffolds 

• Protein Scaffold Designs to Control Stem Cell Differentiation—The mechanistic basis for stem cell responses to scaffold structure, morphology and chemistry is a focus. Designing scaffolds to optimize tissue-specific responses of stem cells towards functional tissues.
• Methodologies to Select and Expand Stem Cell Populations—Primary emphasis is on developing new insight and tools to efficiently expand stem cells without loss of differentiation potential. Biomaterial matrix-mediated effects on stem cell differentiation is an area of focus.
• New Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering—Modeling and fabrication to meet needs for degradable polymeric scaffolds that provide adequate mechanical support and cell signaling in developing tissues (in vitro and in vivo).

Advanced Bioreactors

• Bioreactor Systems with Local Control of Cellular Environment and Signaling Capability—Design and utilization of bioreactors with interstitial fluid flow through cultured tissues and in situ application of biophysical signals.
• Bioreactors with Real-Time Nondestructive Imaging Capability—Advanced bioreactors to monitor, in real-time, the effects of mechanical, hydrodynamic, and electrical signals on cell and tissue function.

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Resource Capabilities

Scientific collaboration, service, and training are provided for the general areas of scaffolds and bioreactors for functional tissue engineering. TERC offers hands-on laboratory courses covering the above areas.

TERC core laboratories are equipped to prepare, process, chemically modify and characterize biopolymers formed into biomaterial matrices for use as scaffolds for tissue engineering; to expand, differentiate and characterize a variety of cell sources (in particular human stem cells) for use in functional tissue engineering; to design and utilize bioreactors to optimize functional tissue outcomes; to apply nondestructive imaging methods.

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References

1. Mauney JR, Sjostorm S, Blumberg J, Horan R, O'Leary JP, Vunjak-Novakovic G, Volloch V, Kaplan DL. Mechanical stimulation promotes osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow stromal cells on 3-D partially demineralized bone scaffolds in vitro. Calcified Tissue International 74:458-468.
2. Vunjak-Novakovic G, Altman G, Horan R, Kaplan DL. Tissue engineering of ligaments. Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering 2004;6:14.1-14.26.
3. Meinel L, Hoffmann S, Karageorgiu V, Zichner L, Langer R, Kaplan DL, Vujajk-Novakovic G. Engineering cartilage-like tissue using human mesenchymal stem cells and silk protein scaffolds. Biotechnology Bioengineering 2004;88:379-391.
4. Meinel L, Kargeorgiou V, Hofmann S, Fajardo R, Snyder B, Li C, Zichner L, Langer R, Vunjak-Novakovic G, Kaplan DL. Engineering bone-like tissue in vitro using human bone marrow stem cells and silk scaffolds. J. Biomedical Materials Research 2004;71A:25-34.
5. Radisic M, Yang L, Boublik J, Cohen RJ, Langer R, Freed LE. Medium perfusion enables engineering of compact and contractile cardiac tissue. American J. Physiology 2004;286:H507-H516.