Spectrum Lecture Series 2015-2016

NOVEL BIOMIMETIC NANOFIBER-CHITOSAN SCAFFOLDS ENVISAGED FOR

ADVANCEMENT OF POINT-OF-CARE WOUND DRESSING

Thursday, April 28,
4:30 PM
Montgomery College
Globe Hall Germantown
Dr. Diane R. Bienek
Project Leader
ADA Foundation
Dr. Anthony Volpe Research Center /

In recent years, there has been interest in the use of chitin and chitosan for biomedical applications. Because of low cost, large-scale availability, hemostatic, and bacteriostatic properties, these polysaccharides are promising as biomaterials in wound healing. Using different dispensing techniques, the biocompatibility of chitosan has been demonstrated. While these dispensing techniques have a wide range of biomedical applications and are valuable to study cellular interactions, the in situ deposition of nanofibers onto a wound is limited because of specialized equipment and technical requirements. Blow spinning is a technique that is gaining attention, as the structures can be used to create an environment to support cell growth and/or to deliver bioactive agents at a site of interest. The objective of this study was to use blow spinning as a platform technology for construction of nanofiber scaffolds using chitosan. Characterization of the nanofiber scaffold material included scanning electron microscopy to assess fiber diameter and thermogravimetric analysis to confirm the presence of chitosan. Cellular compatibility was assessed in vitro using rat keratinized squamous epithelial cells viability and proliferation. To ensure that the chitosan maintained its antibacterial functionality the nanofiber-chitosan scaffolds were tested with Streptococcus mutans. Future research and the potential to advance this technology to precision medicine will also be considered.

Dr. Diane Bienek is a Project Leader at the Dr. Anthony Volpe Research Center in Gaithersburg, MD. Her research focuses on conducting translational science in the dental and biomedical field to improve oral care provided to the public by advancing point-of-care technologies for mitigating and treating post-operative complications. After receiving her B.A. in 1991 from Weber State University (Zoology major), Dr. Bienek proceeded to study at Utah State University, where she earned her M.Sc. After receiving her Ph.D. in Physiology and Cell Biology from the University of Alberta in 2001, Dr. Bienek worked until 2006 as a Senior Scientist for the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (Rockville, MD). Subsequently, she worked as a Principal Scientist for General Dynamics Information Technology (Frederick, MD), before accepting a position as an Assistant Professor of Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She has been in her current position as Project Leader at the Dr. Anthony Volpe Research Center since 2013.

As always, Spectrum Lectures are appropriate for a general audience and admission is free. No tickets are required. For questions or to request accommodations for physical disability, please contact Rick Pires at or 240-567-7798. More information about Spectrum Lectures can be found at: http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/edu/department.aspx?id=10883