BMC Seminar Thursday 17th September at 12:00-12:45 in room 343, Læknagarður
Professor Yannis Missirlis, University of Patras, Greece
Title: All the appropriate signals are necessary for engineering proper tissues: A prerequisite for successful tissue engineering
Abstract: The highly interdisciplinary area of tissue engineering, by its nature, involves several fields of research from basic materials development to stem cell handling to clinical applications. While the need for quick applications is driven by necessity we are still far away from understanding how the hybrid system of material scaffolds‐cells‐ biomolecules operates optimally either in‐vitro (in a bioreactor) or in-vivo. In our effort to monitor some basic responses of particular cells to specific environments we have developed a bioreactor able to supply a multitude of mechanical cues, singly or in combination to endothelial cells. In his presentation we will provide evidence of the importance of substrate stretching and frequency of stretching, of the shear rate of the flowing feeding medium on top of the cells, and of a simulated microgravity environment to the morphological adaptation of the cells and the rearrangement of its cytoskeletal proteins for each particular adaptation. It will also be shown how the combination of these signals correlates with specific gene expressions.
Bio: Professor Yannis Missirlis graduated as Chemical Engineer from the NTUA (Athens-1969), received a M.Sc in Chemical Engineering, (Syracuse-USA, 1971) and his Ph.D. from Rice University (Houston-1973) in Biomedical Engineering. Prof. Missirlis was Assistant /Associate Professor at McMaster University (Canada,1974-1980) before joining the University of Patras in 1981, as a full Professor, directing since then the Laboratory of Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, until his retirement (1/9/2013).
Prof. Missirlis has served as Vice-Rector of the University (1986-1988), as a member of the European, and the World Council of Biomechanics. He has coauthored a book: “Biomaterials, A Tantalus Experience” (Helsen-Missirlis, 2011), coedited 2 books: “ Modern aspects of Protein Adsorption on Biomaterials” (Missirlis-Lemm, 1991) and “ The role of Platelets in Blood- Biomaterial Interactions” ( Missirlis-Wautier, 1993). He has published >80 peer-reviewed papers in international journals, several chapters in books, and currently is active in the area of cell-material interactions, mechanotransduction, tissue engineering, biomechanics from nano-to macro level.
Professor Missirlis was unanimously elected an Honorary Member of the European Society of Biomechanics (by its General Assembly, in Boston, July 2014), and an Honorary Member of the European Society for Biomaterials (unanimous Council decision, April 2014).