Daniel Harrington
Associate Professor, UTH School of Dentistry
Adjunct Faculty, Rice Bioengineering, Biosciences
SURF Mentoring
Potential projects/topics: Bioprinting is a method for layer-by-layer recreation of tissues and organs. We use hydrogel substrates to act as artificial extracellular matrices, but face challenges in printing with slow-gelling materials, or with printing multiple different bioinks with equivalent resolution. This summer project will explore ways to engineer these systems to reach our goals of printing complex, multicellular materials with the desired resolutions across multiple length scales.
Potential skills gained: cell culture, automation, 3D microscopy
Required qualifications or skills: Bioengineering, Biosciences, or ChBE
Direct mentor: Faculty/P.I., Graduate Student
Research Areas
Our laboratory has an interest in using biomaterials as tools to expand our knowledge of cellular processes, and improve our ability to impact human health. Previous projects have spanned applications of soft, biocompatible hydrogels, degradable lactide/glycolide polymeric scaffolds, and self-assembling peptide nanostructures for regenerative medicine. The laboratory’s recent projects involve tissue engineering of the salivary gland as a post-radiotherapy treatment for xerostomia, and “tumor engineering” to study mechanisms of oral cancer and prostate cancer in unique 3D models, adapted to high-throughput screening. By customizing matrices and manufacturing techniques, we design biomimetic solutions that address needs at the cell, tissue, and organ level.
