Brisa Peña-Castellanos, PhD
Abstract
The heart is a highly organized, electrically synchronized, and mechanically active organ, yet many biomaterials used for cardiac tissue engineering are electrically insulating. This mismatch presents a fundamental challenge: even when biomaterials support cell survival and organization, they may fail to recreate the electrical and mechanical environment required for coordinated cardiac function. Our work explores how conductive nanomaterials can be integrated into engineered polymeric systems to create biomimetic microenvironments that better support cardiac cell communication and function.
In this seminar, I will discuss the development of injectable reverse thermal hydrogels functionalized with conductive nanomaterials, including carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). These systems combine the tunable chemistry and minimally invasive delivery of thermoresponsive polymers with the electrical and mechanical properties of nanoscale materials. Using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and three-dimensional cardiac spheroid models, we investigate how nanomaterial incorporation influences cell-cell communication, connexin-43 organization, calcium handling, beating synchronization, and contractile force. Our findings demonstrate that conductive nanomaterial-hydrogel systems can provide more than structural support: they can actively modulate the electromechanical environment experienced by cardiac cells. These studies highlight the potential of engineering material-cell interfaces at the nanoscale to create functional cardiac tissue models and provide platforms for disease modeling, drug testing, and regenerative medicine.
When: September 18, 2026
Where: North Classroom 1535
Time: 11:00 am - 12:00pm