Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

Dr. Lee’s research focuses on the design and development of new biomaterial systems to provide fundamental bases and translational approaches to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Specific areas of interest are orthobiologics, material-based therapeutics to repair craniofacial and orthopedic skeletal defects, novel liposomal platform for drug and gene delivery, photopolymerizable hydrogel systems.

New Therapy for Bone Repair

Various pathophysiologic processes of aging, obesity and osteoporosis are associated with the dysregulation of the adipo-osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Regulating the lineage commitment of MSCs has increasingly attracted great attention in recent years. We developed novel biomolecular strategies that favor osteogenesis over adipogenesis by regulating expression of tribbles proteins. Completion of this study will identify new therapies for the treatment of various bone marrow related diseases and metabolic abnormalities as well as for application of MSCs in tissue engineering.

Nanomaterials for Controlled Release

Therapeutic efficacy of drug molecules is affected by delivery kinetics due to their intrinsic instability and rapid degradation in the body. Sterosomes are a novel class of liposomes formed from single-chain amphiphiles and high content of sterols, and presented significantly increased stability compared to conventional phospholipid liposomes. We developed a novel sterosome formulation that exerts specific tissue targeting and intrinsic therapeutic effects even without drug loading. This system suggests a promising delivery vector for drugs and therapeutic genes.

Hydrogel Carrier System

Hydrogels derived from naturally occurring polymers are attractive matrices for tissue engineering by delivering precursor/stem cells or therapeutic agents into defect sites through a minimally invasive manner. We developed a hydrogel design strategy to better guide cellular behavior and tissue formation by creating injectable polymer network with controlled porous structures and tunable degradability. This system may serve as versatile biomaterial platform for many applications, including therapeutic delivery, cell carriers, and regenerative medicine.