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Research Areas

Medical applications of natural material derived in situ gelable hydrogels
Drug delivery technology
Stem cells for tissue regeneration in chronic wounds

Statement

My research interest is developing natural and/or synthetic biomaterials and applying them in conjunction with bioactive therapeutic agents (small molecules, peptides/proteins, poly nucleotide's and cells) as interventional strategies to address various clinical problems related to wound repair. Localized application provides the maximum efficacious of therapeutic agents while minimizing their undesirable effects. As an extension of biomaterial development, I have been investigating the mechanistic aspects of cell/tissue interactions with biodegradable implants and have developed fibroblast and macrophage co-culture models for examining inflammatory response and material biodegradability at the molecular level. An in vitro glycated collagen model has also been developed and validated.

Since joining the Division of Wound Healing and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery at New York University in the fall of 2010, I have expanded my research into developing and optimizing delivery vehicles for stem cell therapy targeting chronic wounds. The overall goal is to further my translational research projects into clinical testing, which will eventually bring these experimental therapies to clinical uses.

Director

Weiliam Chen, RPh, PhD, Associate Professor
Tel: 212-263-2563
Email: weiliam.chen@nyumc.org