Tejal A. Desai

Research Interests

Micro and nanofabricated platforms for therapeutic delivery: new approaches for tissue engineering and drug delivery

Research Summary

One of the greatest challenges in the post-genomic era of the 21st century lies in making the essential connections between structure and function of biomolecules at the micro/nanoscale to human physiology and pathophysiology at the macroscale. Biological microelectromechanical systems (bioMEMS) and nanotechnologies such as oligonucleotide arrays, integrated fluidic chips, and drug delivery/sensing platforms promise to transform the world of biochemistry and medicine much in the same way that integrated semiconductor devices transformed the world of electronics. The key driving force is the complementary length scale between biological structures that range from the 10s of nanometers (proteins, DNA, viruses) to the micron scale (cells and cellular assemblies) and the new capabilities of micro/nanosystems to manipulate and control such feature sizes within our environment. Studies in the Desai laboratory focus on the design, fabrication, and use of advanced micro/nano biosystems for a) cellular integration and tissue engineering; b) biomimetic architectures for functional biomaterials, and c) therapeutic drug targeting and delivery. For example, studies are being conducted to investigate the role of structural mechanics in regulating biochemical pathways, biological adhesion phenomena, cytoskeletal deformation and active cellular motility. Motivating these fundamental studies is the development of novel materials that mimic the interfacial and structural properties of natural biomaterials. The Desai lab is designing templates to achieve cardiomyocyte attachment and orientation in dynamic environments and have applied microfluidic biopolymer patterning to design multicellular and multilayered vascular analogues. The potential of using such techniques to recreate hierarchical tissue architecture makes this an exciting tool for cellular and tissue engineering. The lab is also interested in novel approaches to deliver drugs to specific cells via targeting. Examples include lectin-conjugated microdevices for oral delivery and neurotransmitter-conjugated nanoparticles for neuronal targeting

Selected Publications

Tao SL, Popat KC, Norman JJ, Desai TA.Surface Modification of SU-8 for Enhanced Biofunctionality and Nonfouling Properties. Langmuir. 2008 Mar 18;24(6):2631-6
 Norman JJ, Collins JM, Sharma S, Russell B, Desai TA. Microstructures in 3D biological gels affect cell proliferation. Tissue Eng 2008 Mar;14(3):379-90.

Ketul C. Popat, Matthew Eltgroth and Tejal A. Desai, “Titania nanotubes: A Novel drug eluting coatings for medical implants?” Small. 2007 Nov;3(11):1878-81

Popat KC, Eltgroth M, Latempa TJ, Grimes CA, Desai TA. Decreased Staphylococcus epidermis adhesion and increased osteoblast functionality on antibiotic-loaded titania nanotubes.  Biomaterials. 2007 Nov;28(32):4880-4888.

Sarah Tao and Tejal Desai. Aligned arrays of biodegradable poly(e-caprolactone) nanowires and nanofibers by template synthesis" Nano Lett. 2007 Jun;7(6):1463-8.