For those interested in applying for research opportunities with CTE and UCI plastic surgery please apply below. Your information will be saved on a database accessible to UCI plastic surgery residents and attendings who may contact you for assistance with new or ongoing projects.
Apply Here:https://forms.gle/B4YenRxgdpUwRVKp6
The Plastic Surgery Departments Center for Tissue Engineering (CTE) laboratory focuses on creating innovative new medical devices, the use of acellular and cellular matrices, tissue engineering auricular cartilage frameworks, oxygenated wound healing solutions and scar manipulation, anti-fibrotic strategies including diseases such as Dupuytrens Disease. Most projects have adipose derived stem cells as the central focus for the cellular work with multiple projects emanating from this core focus.
All projects and protocols are designed with a translational bias with relatively low barriers of entry to the market place. In conjunction with our academic partners, in the main, biomedical engineers, many projects involve the design of medical devices to serve these translational purposes.
Thus CTE is actively involved in the following projects:
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- Collaborative partnership with Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF) exploring the use of acellular adipose derived matrices in fat generation – coming to completion
- Investigation of adipose derived stem cells with PRP for conversion of scar tissue to adipocytes – scar conversion program and Dupytrens Disease investigations
- Development of ‘bubbled’ oxygenated solution for use in wound healing, fat grafting, tissue transplantation storage solution, acute major trauma injuries and in vitro laboratory settings for increasing exposure to oxygenated solutions. Device designed for oxygen generation in collaboration with BME (at present clinicals studies conducted under FDA IND allowance)
- Generation of cartilage engineered frameworks using unique adipose derived matrices, chondrocytes and adipose derived stem cells. Collaborative effort with MTF, IDME, BME, UCI and Athanasiou laboratories. Secondary exploration of human cartilage decell/recell possibilities
- Stress induction of adipose lipoaspirate to yield high proportions of progenitor cells useful for fat graft enrichment (reconstruction, breast etc, aesthetic indications) and for therapeutic autologous use in wound healing. The stress induction device has been designed in conjunction with Haun laboratory (BME, UCI)CTE is actively involved in the following projects:
Our robust research program involves undergraduate, post-graduate and experienced researchers working on a wide range of exciting and unique research projects.
If you are affiliated with a research institution interested in collaborative opportunities or would like more information about the Department of Plastic Surgery’s CTE research projects, please contact:
Alan Widgerow, MBBCh, FCS, MMed, FACS
Division Chief Research, Center for Tissue Engineering
Department of Plastic Surgery
UC Irvine Health School of Medicine
714-456-3482
awidgero@hs.uci.edu