Tissue engineering in action: Student researchers Jeffrey Chu (left) and Vic Valera build smart meshes for health solutions. PHOTO: BOB HANDELMAN

Blueprint for Healing

Promoting skin and muscle growth by designing a blueprint for cellular regeneration is one of the core research projects in the Next Gen Tissue Engineering and Advancement Materials (TEAM) Lab.

A multidisciplinary team of students is investigating solutions that would speed healing and positively impact the lives of countless people. The group is working under the guidance of Assistant Professor Karrer Alghazali, Ph.D., and Adjunct Assistant Professor Rabab Hamzah, Ph.D., who specializes in cell biology and nanoparticles.

Pictured from left: Karrer Alghazali, Chris D’Costa, Vic Valera, Jeffrey Chu, and Rabab Hamzah. PHOTO: BOB HANDELMAN

The four students involved in the TEAM research include three students in the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences: Vic Valera, an undergraduate bioengineering major; Chris D’Costa, a graduate bioengineering major; and Jeffrey Chu, an undergraduate computer science major, who is just starting his college journey—as well as Matthew Duazo, a medical student in the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The current project focuses on wound healing, specifically skeletal muscle regeneration and diabetic wound healing. The research is exploring the use of 3-D structures infused with various polymers and nanoparticles that facilitate tissue regeneration.