5F: Engineering Cells and Their Microenvironments SIG
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Date: Friday, March 27, 2026
Time: 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Room: Hanover FG

Description

The Engineering Cells & Their Microenvironments Special Interest Group focuses on technologies and approaches at the single-cell level and the engineering of cellular microenvironments. This includes designing dynamic cues within biomaterials to regulate cell signaling and stem cell fate, as well as advancing stem cell manufacturing and differentiation, immunoengineering, and biomaterials for cell-based detection and diagnosis.

Moderators:

Taylor Hebner
Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering
Purdue University

Chelsea Magin
Associate Professor | CEDC-Bioengineering
University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz

  • 8:00 AM. 255. Tunable Peptide-Functionalized Hydrogels Enhance Cardiac Differentiation and Function of Human iPSC.Mohammadjafar Hashemi, PhD in chemical engineering1, Debeni Devi Nongmaithem1, Charlotte Chen1, Bahareh Bahman1, Nathaniel Huebsch1 1Washington University in St. Louis

  • 8:15 AM. 256. Dynamically Mechanically Tunable Synthetic Hydrogels Support Organoid Culture.Michael Seitz1, Susan Moradi1, Dominic Tigani, M.S.1, Tessa DeCicco1, Zhen Ma, Ph.D1, Michael Blatchley, Ph.D1, Era Jain, Ph.D.1 1Syracuse university

  • 8:30 AM. 257. Epithelial Lineage Specific Nascent Matrix Contributes to Early Fibrotic Remodeling.Donia Ahmed, M.S.1, Esther Gao, -1, Alaa Assi, -1, Matthew Tan, -1, Jingyi Xia1, Brendon M. Baker, PhD2, Claudia Loebel, MD, PhD3 1University of Michigan, 2UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN- ANN ARBOR, 3University of Pennsylvania

  • 8:45 AM. 258. Biomaterial-Mediated Temporal Deposition of Precise Matrix by Meniscal Fibrochondrocytes.Saitheja Pucha, B.S.1, Rehaan Jain1, Kyley Burkey, B.S2, Jenny Robinson, Ph.D.2, Jay Patel, Ph.D.1 1Emory University, 2University of Washington

  • 9:00 AM. 259. Aging of the human blood and immune system in a nonlinear, synthetic hydrogel system.Truc Dinh1, Dallin Jacobs2, Charlotte Stevens1, Connor George1, Aidan Gilchrist, Ph.D.2 1University of California, Davis, 2Univeristy of California, Davis

  • 9:15 AM. 260. Nascent extracellular matrix converts biomaterial cues into cell fate decisions.Joshua Liu, MS1, Eleanor Plaster2, Mingyue Fan, PhD1, Donia Ahmed, M.S.2, Pamela Duran, PhD2, Peyton Panovich, PhD2, Alexandra Piotrowski-Daspit, PhD2, Carlos Aguilar, PhD2, Megan Killian, PhD2, Claudia Loebel, MD, PhD1 1University of Pennsylvania, 2University of Michigan

  • 9:30 AM. 261. Cell Network Formation within Strain-Stiffening Bottlebrush Polymer Hydrogels.Monica Ohnsorg, PhD1, Nicole Friend, PhD2, Daniel Saeb2, Sophie Givens, PhD2, Kayla Mash2, Kristi Anseth3 1University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2University of Colorado, Boulder, 3University of Colorado at Boulder

  • 9:45 AM. 262. Develop an engineered brain microvascular model for vessel co-option using synthetic zinc finger transcription regulator (SynZiFTR).Sheridan Fok, PhD candidate1, Brendan Harley2, Ahmad Khalil, PhD3, Hanrong Ye, PhD3 1University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 3Boston University