Hu, Jue

• Postdoc, University of Iowa

• Ph.D., Donghua University

• B.S., Donghua University

Typically, scaffolds, cells, and biologically active molecules are combined to form or repair functional tissues. My research focuses on developing biomimetic scaffolds with nanomaterials for bone/nerve tissue engineering and studying drug delivery capacity of the functional scaffolds together with the stem cell differentiation and inflammation modulation.

Design and Fabrication of Biomimetic Nanofibrous Porous Scaffolds and Hydrogels for Tissue Regeneration. Large craniofacial defects remain a significant challenge due to the limited availability of autogenous bone grafts. Biomaterial-mediated tissue engineering scaffolds show promising potential in tissue regeneration. In this study, three dimension (3D) nanofibrous scaffold/ injectable microparticles will be prepared using a thermally induced phase separation technique combined with particle leaching (TIPS&P). Green 3D porous hydrogel will be developed with non-toxic crosslinked reagents (e.g. vanillin and bioactive glasses). These scaffolds/microparticles feature well-defined microporous structures and collagen-like nanofibers, mimicking the physiological microenvironment, making them promising candidates for drug delivery and tissue regeneration.

Study of Stem Cell Behavior in Biomimetic Microenvironments. Stem cell secretome and stem cell-derived nanoparticles from various types of stem cells will be collected and compared with their yield rate and therapeutic potential. Our research demonstrated their ability to enhance stem cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and osteogenic differentiation, underscoring their significant potential for tissue regeneration. This study will evaluate the controlled/sustained release capacity of stem cells secretome/stem cells derived nanoparticles from our bio-inspired scaffold and we anticipate developing a promising and impactful alternative to traditional cell therapy.

Harnessing SEMF as a Non-Invasive Stimulation Approach for Tissue Regeneration. Sinusoidal electromagnetic fields (SEMF) can offer consistency, and uniform stimulation to cells and tissue. The combination of EMF and tissue engineering technology may optimize clinical treatments with EMF in bone regeneration. We will evaluate the effects of SEMF stimulation on cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation in both human and mouse cells under optimized conditions. In addition, the yield rate and composition of stem cell-derived secretomes in response to SEMF stimulation will be systematically characterized. This project will investigate the potential synergistic effects of bio-inspired scaffolds and SEMF stimulation on stem cell behavior and may inform future non-invasive approaches for large bone defect repair.

Development of a Craniofacial Implant-on-a-Chip Model to Investigate Bone Regeneration. Traditionally, animal surgery is crucial for predicting the efficacy and side effects of novel treatments. However, in vivo models present numerous challenges to fully represent human body. While traditional in vitro models are lacking physiologically relevant properties. To overcome these challenges, the concept of organ-on-a-chip will be introduced to test the therapeutic capacity of our nanomaterials and scaffolds. Using Autodesk Inventor, 3D printing, polydimethyl-siloxane (PDMS) molding, and computational fluid dynamic simulations, we will fabricate specialized microfluidic devices for the evaluation of our scaffolds. We expected the craniofacial implant-on-a-chip system to be used for pre-clinic evaluation of different scaffolds and microparticles, thereby reducing animal use and alleviating a substantial global health burden.