Publications

This work lays the foundation to establish principles of designing multiphasic scaffolds with tissue-specific biophysical and biochemical properties for regenerating vascularized and interfacial tissues.

Patrick, Keys, Suresh kumar, and Annamalai RT

Scientific Reports. 2022 Sep 22;12(1):15811

Here, we investigated the concentration-dependent effects of IFNγ and TNFα and developed gelatin-based microgels to sustain a licensed mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) phenotype.

Patrick, and Annamalai RT

Front Immunol. 2022 Aug 18;13:987032

Here, we describe the utility of gelatin microspheres that are responsive to proteolytic enzymes typically expressed in arthritic flares, resulting in on‐demand and spatiotemporally controlled release of anti‐inflammatory cytokines for cartilage preservation and repair.

Park, Hart, Rolauffs, Stegemann, and Annamalai RT

J of Biomed Mat Res Part A, 2019

We present a biomaterials-based strategy combining mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) with a chitosan-collagen matrix to form modular microtissues designed for delivery through a needle to conformally fill cavital defects. Implantation of microtissues into a calvarial defect in the mouse resulted in complete bridging of the cavity.

Annamalai RT, Hong, Schott, Tiruchinapally, Levi and Stegemann

Biomaterials, 2019; 208:32-44

We developed genipin-crosslinked gelatin microspheres designed to be preferentially degraded by inflammatory (M1) macrophages to provide better spatiotemporal control of BMP2 delivery for recalcitrant wounds.

Annamalai RT, Turner, Carson, Kunkel, Levi and Stegemann

Biomaterials, 2018; 161:216-227

We investigated a modular tissue engineering approach to therapeutic revascularization using fibrin-based microtissues containing embedded human endothelial cells and human fibroblasts. Robust sprouting from microtissues was evident, with larger vessels developing over time and FB acting as pericyte-like cells by enveloping endothelial tubes. This modular format may allow minimally invasive delivery of populations of prevascularized microtissues for therapeutic applications.

Annamalai RT, Rioja, Putnam and Stegemann

ACS Biomaterials, 2016; 2(11):1914-25

Previously, we demonstrated assembly of a prototype, engineered liver tissue, formed by the fusion of hepatocyte-containing capsules. Here, we analyzed the effects of various controllable system parameters with the aim of predicting the operating limits of our modular tissue in high cell density, perfused cultures.

Annamalai RT and Matthew HW

Ann Biomed Eng, 2019; 47(5):1223-36

Microtissues created from the protein fibrin and containing embedded cells can be used in modular tissue engineering approaches to create larger, hierarchical and complex tissue structures. In this paper we demonstrate an emulsification-based and the beneficial effects of surfactants in reducing microtissue aggregation.

Annamalai RT, Naik, Prout, Putnam, and Stegemann

Biomedical Materials, 2018; 13:045005

We developed modular microenvironments that mimic the composition of articular cartilage as a delivery system for consistently differentiated cells. We showed that the Inclusion of collagen Type II in agarose matrices in microbead format can potentiate chondrogenic differentiation of human MSC.

Annamalai RT, Mertz, Daley and Stegemann

Cytotherapy, 2016; 18(2):263-77

In this paper, we report the elements of a simple yet efficient method for fabricating vascularized tissue constructs by fusing biodegradable microcapsules with tunable interior environments. A prototype, engineered liver tissue, formed by fusion of hepatocyte-containing capsules exhibited urea synthesis rates and albumin synthesis rates comparable to standard collagen sandwich hepatocyte cultures.

Annamalai RT, Armant and Matthew

PLoS One, 2014; 9(1):e84287