Microfabrication Approaches to Control Stem Cell Fate and Function

Event Details:

Date/Time: March 23, 2023 starting at 11:30 a.m.

Location: A.W. Smith Building, Room 349

Name of Speaker: Quinton Smith

Title: Microfabrication Approaches to Control Stem Cell Fate and Function

University:  University of California, Irvine

Quinton Smith Headshot

Abstract:  The Smith lab focuses on bridging the gap between fundamental stem cell biology and the clinical application of stem cell derivatives. Miniaturization technologies from the electronics industry enable engineers to build models of human physiology. In particular, these technologies permit controlling interactions between individual cells and their physical microenvironment and spatial information like gradients in chemical signals. Coupling these powerful tools with stem cell and organoid technology allows the precise re-creation of a tissue’s natural environment in the body. Smith’s lab is leveraging these organ-on-chip model systems to uncover new biology related to human development and study how organs maintain homeostasis, become diseased and regenerate.

Bio: Dr. Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Smith received his bachelor's degree from the University of New Mexico in chemical engineering and his Ph.D. in 2017 from Johns Hopkins University in chemical and biomolecular engineering. His predoctoral research was supported by an NIH/NHLBI F-31 and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. In addition, he was named a Siebel Scholar in 2017. After completing his doctorate, he trained as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Hanna Gray Postdoctoral Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.