A few of the UNMC Regenerative Medicine Focus Areas:
- Biomaterials Regeneration - In regenerative medicine, biomaterials play an important role as they can act as not only a scaffold/substrate for supporting cell growth, forming certain structures and regulating cell behaviors but also a local delivery system for sustained delivery of signaling molecules and enhancement of cell functions and tissue regeneration. At UNMC, scientists are interested in development of novel biomaterials with multiple functions and understanding the interactions between materials and cells/tissues. The final goal is to use these designed biomaterials in studying tissue morphogenesis and patterning during development, forming tissues for in vitro drug screening, and regenerating tissues for clinically surgical treatment of diseases.
- Bone Development and Regeneration - What happens during embryonic development as our bones begin to form and how does our body regulate this to ensure appropriate tissue development? As we understand these patterns we can begin to apply them to human therapeutic applications as a means to regenerate bone tissue after major injury or disease has destroyed the primary functional bone.
- Pancreas Regeneration - Once damaged, the body’s insulin-producing cells don’t regenerate. UNMC scientists are working to make history by replacing those damaged cells with healthy tissue, thereby directly addressing one of the problems of diabetes.
- Vascular Regeneration - One of the major vascular accesses designed for long-term use is arteriovenous fistula, a connection, made by a vascular surgeon, of an artery to a vein. However, veins for a number of patients failed to reach maturation after arteriovenous fistula formation. At UNMC, scientists are interested in understanding the mechanisms of vein maturation and finding ways to improve the successful rate of vein maturation for dialysis patients.