Biology and Engineering of Stem Cell Niches

Dr. Ajay Vishwakarma is a researcher specializing in stem cell bioengineering, biomaterials, tissue engineering, cancer immunology, and immuno-engineering. He is affiliated with the Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. Dr. Vishwakarma earned his DDS from Maharashtra University of Health Sciences and an MSc in Tissue Engineering from Cardiff University, UK. He advanced his research on mesenchymal stem cells during his fellowship in the Khademhosseini Laboratory at Harvard-MIT. Currently pursuing a PhD in Cancer Biology at the University of Iowa, he investigates regulatory T cells in cancer progression under Prof. Weizhou Zhang. A recipient of multiple prestigious fellowships, Dr. Vishwakarma is also co-founder of OCTE Technologies, a biotech start-up developing next-generation cell and tissue engineering therapies. Dr. Jeff Karp is a leading researcher in the fields of stem cell therapeutics, drug delivery, medical devices,and tissue adhesives. He is an Associate Professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Principal Faculty at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and an affiliate faculty at the Broad Institute and at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (where he teaches to MIT-Sloan business school students). He has published >100 peer-reviewed papers (with >11,750 citations) and has given 250 national and international invited lectures and has 65 issued or pending patents. Several technologies developed in his lab have formed the foundation for multiple products on the market and currently under development and for the launch of four companies including Skintifique, Gecko Biomedical, Alivio Therapeutics, Frequency Therapeutics.Karp’s work has been discussed in hundreds of newspapers, online websites, television newscasts, and radio shows around the world including CNN, ABC News, NBC, Boston Globe, LA Times, BBC, Discovery, National Geographic, The Atlantic, The Guardian, American Museum for Natural History, Popular Mechanics, CTV Canada AM. Karp has also appeared multiple times on CBC’s Quirks and Quarks and NPR Science Fridays.The Boston Business Journal recognized him as a Champion in Healthcare Innovation and MIT’s Technology Review Magazine (TR35) also recognized Dr. Karp as being one of the top innovators in the world (3 members from his laboratory have subsequently received this award).His work has been selected by Popular Mechanic's "Top 20 New Biotech Breakthroughs that Will Change Medicine.” He gave a TEDMED talk at the Kennedy Center in DC on bioinspired medical innovation and since 2015 has been a member of the TEDMED Editorial Advisory Board (only member to be elected to the board 3 years in a row). In 2015 and 2016 he received Breakthrough Awards from the Kenneth Rainin Foundation and in 2015 was a commencement speaker in at the University of Toronto. He also serves as a consultant to the Kenneth Rainin Foundation and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation on the topic of new technologies for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. He has deep consulting expertise with startups and with several Fortune 500 companies across a wide spectrum of areas including drug delivery, medical devices, consumer healthcare products, and stem cell therapeutics.Dr. Karp was selected as the Outstanding Faculty Undergraduate Mentor among all Faculty at MIT and he received the HST McMahon Mentoring award for being the top mentor of Harvard-MIT students. To date, 18 trainees from his laboratory have secured faculty positions and several have transitioned into impactful careers in pharma, biotech, medtech, and venture capital.

• Part I. Biology of Stem Cell Niches and Molecular Mechanisms1. The Need to Study, Mimic, and Target Stem Cell Niches2. Harnessing the Biology of Stem Cells' Niche3. Pluripotent Stem Cell Microenvironment4. Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Dynamics by Molecular Niche Signaling5. HSC Niche: Regulation of Mobilization and Homing6. Neuronal Stem Cell Niches of the Brain7. Cardiovascular Stem Cell Niche8. Intestinal Epithelial Lgr5+ Stem Cell Niche and Organoids9. The Epithelial Stem Cell Niche in Skin10. The Satellite Cell Niche in Skeletal Muscle11. The Cancer Stem Cell Niche12. Cellular Senescence and Stem Cell NichePart II. Biochemical and Physical Cues in The Stem Cell Niche Directing Cell Fate13. Matrix Chemistry Controlling Stem Cell Behavior14. Matrix Growth Factor and Surface Ligand Presentation15. Effect of Matrix Mechanical Forces and Geometry on Stem Cell Behavior16. Wettability Effect on Stem Cell Behavior17. Fluid Flow Control of Stem Cells With Investigation of Mechanotransduction Pathways18. Hypoxia Regulation of Stem Cell: Mechanisms, Biological Properties, and ApplicationsPart III. Designing Smart Biomaterials to Mimic and Control Stem Cell Niche19. Polymer Design and Development20. Design and Development of Ceramics and Glasses21. Surface Functionalization of Biomaterials22. Biofunctional Hydrogels for Three-Dimensional Stem Cell Culture23. Technologies to Engineer Cell Substrate Mechanics in Hydrogels24. Micro- and Nanosurface Patterning Technologies25. Self-Assembled Nanostructures (SANs)26. Biomimetic Nanofibers as Artificial Stem Cell NichePart IV. Bioengineering Strategies to Model Synthetic Stem Cell Niches27. Employing Microfluidic Devices to Induce Concentration Gradients28. Engineering Niches for Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells29. Engineering Niches for Cardiovascular Tissue Regeneration30. Engineering Niches for Blood Vessel Regeneration31. Engineering Niches for Bone Tissue Regeneration32. Engineering Vascular Niche for Bone Tissue Regeneration33. Engineering Niches for Cartilage Tissue Regeneration34. Engineering Niches for Stem and Progenitor Cell Differentiation Into Immune Cells35. Engineering Niches for Skin and Wound Healing36. Designing Stem Cell Niche for Liver Development and Regeneration37. Engineering the Niche for Intestinal Regeneration