Wednesday, January 14, 2009

First FSSHH of 2009!!!!

FSSHH is back for 2009!!

The honorable speaker of this year's first FSSHH is Deok-Ho and it will be held on Jan 23rd Friday - of course ;) - at Homewood Clark 110 from 5:00pm through 6:00pm. As usual, the food and drinks at 5pm and the talk will begin at 5:30.

Hope to see you all there!

Jan 23, 2009; Homewood Clark 110
-- Deok-Ho Kim

Title: Analysis and Engineering of Cell Function with Nanoscale Cues

Abstract: In this talk, I will present multidisciplinary efforts directed towards better understanding of how diverse cell functions are controlled by the nano-scale features of cell micro-environment through active mechanosensing. I will particularly focus on three different settings in normal and pathophysiological contexts, in which cellular sensing of local force and geometry can have dramatic consequences: guided cell migration by well organized extracellular matrix, controlled stem cell differentiation via matrix topology, and development of tissue-engineered cardiac grafts. As novel tools to address these questions, I will introduce a series of biomimetic micro-devices combining the advantages of precise definition of both nano-topographic features and chemical ligands on chips, and then discuss how these tools help to gain better understanding of the fundamental aspects of establishment of cell polarity and guidance, and allow us to establish general principles for development of more precise and defined scaffolds for tissues engineering.