Instructive Biomaterials and Additive Manufacturing Laboratory (IBAM-Lab)

The Instructive Biomaterials and Additive Manufacturing Laboratory (IBAM-Lab) develops novel biodegradable polymers and hydrogels and fabricates biomaterials, medical devices and tissue-engineered organs using additive manufacturing. Despite significant efforts, the lack of organs and tissue for transplantation poses a major hurdle in medicine. We take a multidisciplinary approach toward developing innovative treatment alternatives using novel biomaterials with 3D-bioprinting. The lab develops biodegradable polymers and hydrogels with user-defined and tunable processibility, mechanics, degradation and functionalizability; engineers medical devices, tissues and organs using 3d-bioprinting; develops material-based technologies to control stem cell differentiation; and fabricates patient-specific in vitro disease models for fundamental studies and drug screening. Additionally, IBAM-Lab devises novel strategies for biomimetic material design, stimuli-responsive materials, surface patterning and photopolymerization. Our facilities include a wet lab designed for polymer discovery, synthesis and processing, and a biolab for elucidating cell-material interactions in vitro. Additive manufacturing capabilities offer extrusion-based and vat photopolymerization printing, including a multi-functional state-of-the-art EnvisionTec bioplotter.