Alumnus to Give Seminar on Designing Biomaterials to Generate Resorbable Implants

J. Kent Leach of the University of California, Davis, will present a seminar titled "Engineered Microenvironments for Stem Cell-Based Therapies in Tissue Repair" at 3:05 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28, in Room 132 of the Chemistry Building. A reception and refreshments will be held after the seminar at 4:05 p.m. in CHEM 105.

Leach is a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Davis, and in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in the School of Medicine at UC Davis.

Abstract:

Advances in early detection of disease and increases in lifespan motivate the need to engineer new strategies to repair or replace damaged organs and tissues. My research is directed toward incorporating cues from the native environment and natural extracellular matrix (ECM) into the design of cell culture platforms and musculoskeletal tissue engineered constructs. By applying fundamental principles in cell and molecular biology, biomaterials, and biotransport phenomena, we are developing materials-based strategies to enhance the local oxygen microenvironment and direct behavior of transplanted or host cells within bone defects. In this talk, I will present examples of our recent work in designing biomaterials from cells and natural and synthetic polymers to gen erate resorbable, instructive implants.

Leach received a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from the University of Arkansas in 1995 and a Doctor of Philosophy in chemical engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 2003, where he developed novel drug delivery vehicles to accelerate the restoration of occluded blood flow characteristic of heart attack or stroke. He then completed postdoctoral research at the University of Michigan and Harvard University focused on the controlled delivery of multiple growth factors from various matrices to promote tissue regeneration.

In 2005, he joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Davis, where he rose through the ranks to full professor in 2015. He holds a joint appointment in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the UC Davis School of Medicine, and he also serves as the chair of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Group.

Leach dedicates much effort to the instruction and development of future engineers and scientists, recently winning teaching and mentorship awards in recognition of his activities. His present research interests are directed towards enhancing the engineering of various tissues through multimodal stimulation achieved by the presentation of multiple growth factors, the development of hybrid biomaterials,transplantation of various mature, progenitor, and stem cells, and the application of external stimulation.