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Tejal Desai
Director UC San Francisco’s Laboratory of Therapeutic Micro and Nanotechnology
One of the greatest challenges in the post-genomic era of the 21st century lies in making the essential connections between structure and function of biomolecules at the micro/nanoscale to human physiology and pathophysiology at the macroscale. Biological microelectromechanical systems (bioMEMS) and nanotechnologies such as oligonucleotide arrays, integrated fluidic chips, and drug delivery/sensing platforms promise to transform the world of biochemistry and medicine much in the same way that integrated semiconductor devices transformed the world of electronics. The key driving force is the complementary length scale between biological structures that range from the 10s of nanometers (proteins, DNA, viruses) to the micron scale (cells and cellular assemblies) and the new capabilities of micro/nanosystems to manipulate and control such feature sizes within our environment. Studies in the Desai laboratory focus on the design, fabrication, and use of advanced micro/nano biosystems for a) cellular integration and tissue engineering; b) biomimetic architectures for functional biomaterials, and c) therapeutic drug targeting and delivery. For example, studies are being conducted to investigate the role of structural mechanics in regulating biochemical pathways, biological adhesion phenomena, cytoskeletal deformation and active cellular motility. Motivating these fundamental studies is the development of novel materials that mimic the interfacial and structural properties of natural biomaterials. The Desai lab is designing templates to achieve cardiomyocyte attachment and orientation in dynamic environments, nanoporous metal-oxide films for osseointegration, and have applied microfluidic biopolymer patterning to design multicellular and multilayered vascular analogues. The potential of using such techniques to recreate hierarchical tissue architecture makes this an exciting tool for cellular and tissue engineering. Distinguished Engineering Alumni Awards' 2006 Outstanding Young Leader Tejal was honored at the annual banquet on November 18, 2006 for her work with micro and nano fabricated platforms. Details can be found at the website: http://www.coe.berkeley.edu/alumni_friends/deaa/ and Tejal is Grand Prize Winner The Eurand Award Grand Prize was awarded to Dr. Tejal Desai, who is a Professor at the Department of Physiology and Bioengineering, University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Desai presented work carried out in association with Sarah Tao on the use of silicon-based micro-machined devices for the controlled delivery of oral therapeutics. © Program in Bioengineering, University of California web site by aeronet |
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DESAI LAB (www.ucsf.edu/desailab)