Graduate NIH Training in Biotechnology
Former Trainees
John Stankus
PhD Chemical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, April 2006. Currently a research scientist at Abbott Vascular in Santa Clara, CA conducting research and development on novel therapies and formulations for heart failure and vulnerable plaque.
Project Description
My research project involves the design of novel biodegradable elastomers to serve as scaffolds for cardiovascular and other soft tissue engineering applications. These materials degrade within the body, are readily processed into an assortment of structures, and possess robust mechanical strength and flexibility. These scaffolds can be seeded with appropriate cells and utilized in developing tissues under mechanical loading to induce appropriate cellular orientation and matrix deposition. Research efforts are focused on investigating novel processing methods to create architectures that mimic the natural extracellular matrix. One method, electrospinning, allows the design of scaffolds with incorporated biofunctionality and high strength retention.
Courses
Angiogenesis, Biofunctional Tissue Engineering, Polymer Engineering, Fundamentals of Biochemical Engineering (Biotechnology Training Program), Organic Chemistry of Polymers (CMU), Polymer Physical Chemistry (CMU), Foundations of Biomedical Science (Biotechnology Training Program), Foundations Conference (Biotechnology Training Program), Scientific Ethics (Biotechnology Training Program), Biomaterials & Biocompatibility (Biotechnology Training Program), Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology (Biotechnology Training Program), Issues in Research and Teaching, Synthesis & Characterization of Polymers, with lab, Fundamentals of Thermodynamics, Fundamentals of Reaction Processes, Fundamentals of Transport Processes, Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering 1
Publications
Stankus JJ, Guan J, Fujimoto K, Wagner WR. Microintegrating smooth muscle cells into a biodegradable, elastomeric fiber matrix. Biomaterials. 27: 735-744 (2006).
Stankus J, Guan J, Wagner WR. Fabrication of biodegradable elastomeric scaffolds with sub-micron morphologies. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. 70: 603-614 (2004).
Guan J, Stankus JJ, Wagner WR. Development of composite porous scaffolds based on collagen and biodegradable poly(ester urethane)urea. Cell Transplantation. (In press).
Sacks MS, Courtney T, Stankus J, Guan J, Wagner WR. Analysis and design of tissue engineered scaffolds that mimic soft tissue mechanical anisotropy. (In review).
Stankus JJ, Fujimoto K, Guan J, Wagner WR. Growth factor releasing scaffolds for fascia repair. (In preparation).
Stankus JJ, Fujimoto K, Guan J, Wagner WR. Antibiotic release from electrospun poly(ester urethane)urea. (In preparation).
Guan J, Stankus JJ, Wagner WR. Development of a biodegradable, flexible scaffold capable of bFGF release. (In preparation).
Soletti L, Nieponice A, Guan J, Stankus JJ, Wagner WR, Vorp D. A novel seeding device for tissue engineered tubular structures. (In preparation).
Stankus J, Guan J, Wagner WR. Elastomers, biodegradable. Encyclopedia of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering. M.Dekker: New York, 2004.
Guan J, Stankus J, Wagner WR. Soft tissue scaffolds. Encyclopedia of Biomedical Engineering. Wiley: Hoboken, NJ, (In preparation).
Presentations
Stankus JJ, Guan J, Fujimoto, K, Wagner WR. Elastomeric tissue mimetics fabricated by a microintegration approach. AIChE 2005 Annual Meeting, Abstract 100d, (2005).
Stankus JJ, Wagner WR. Functional elastomeric scaffold development for tissue engineering. AIChE 2005 Annual Meeting, Abstract 4y, (2005).
Soletti L, Nieponice A, Guan J, Stankus JJ, Wagner WR, Vorp D. Assessment of a rotational vacuum seeding technique for tissue engineered tubular structures. Tissue Engineering Society International 2005 Annual Meeting, Abstract 79, (2005).
Courtney TD, Sacks MS, Stankus JJ, Guan J, Wagner WR. Analysis and design of novel electrospun PEUU scaffolds for soft tissue engineering. Tissue Engineering Society International 2005 International Meeting, Abstract 193, (2005).
Guan J, Stankus J, Wagner WR. Development of biodegradable and flexible thermosensitive hydrogels for soft tissue engineering. Proceedings of the 2005 Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Fall Meeting, Abstract 546, (2005).
Li B, Stankus JJ, Wagner WR, Wang JH. Application of polymer/collagen scaffolds to study tendon collagen matrix remodeling. Proceedings of the 2005 Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Fall Meeting, Abstract 296, (2005).
Courtney T, Stankus JJ, Guan J, Wagner WR, Sacks MS. Analysis and design of novel electrospun PEUU scaffolds for soft tissue engineering. Proceedings of the 2005 Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Fall Meeting, Abstract 1045, (2005).
Stankus J, Guan J, Fujimoto KL, Wagner WR. Fabricating a microintegrated tissue with smooth muscle cells and elastomeric fibers. Proceedings of the 2005 Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Fall Meeting, Abstract 63, (2005).
Courtney TD, Sacks MS, Stankus JJ, Guan J, Wagner WR. Analysis and design of novel electrospun PEUU scaffolds for soft tissue engineering. 2005 Summer Bioengineering Conference, Abstract 3C1, (2005).
Guan J, Stankus JJ, Wagner WR. Development of elastase-sensitive, biodegradable and flexible scaffolds for soft tissue engineering. Regenerate International Conference and Exposition, Abstract A016, (2005).
Stankus JJ, Guan J, Fujimoto K, Wagner WR. Microintegration of smooth muscle cells into a biodegradable elastomer. Transactions of the 30th Annual Meeting of the Society for Biomaterials, Abstract p182, (2005).
Courtney TD, Sacks M, Stankus JJ, Guan J, Wagner WR. Structural and mechanical characterization of poly(ester urethane)urea elastomeric scaffolds for cardiovascular soft tissue engineering. Transactions of the 30th Annual Meeting of the Society for Biomaterials, Abstract p54, (2005).
Draghi L, Stankus JJ, Wagner WR. Development of elastic, small diameter porous conduits amenable for use as neural growth guides. Transactions of the 30th Annual Meeting of the Society for Biomaterials, Abstract p675, (2005).
Stankus J, Guan J, Wagner WR. Fibrous elastomeric poly(ester urethane)urea scaffolds incorporating collagen. Biomaterials in Regenerative Medicine: The Advent of Combination Products Transactions, Abstract (2004).
Stankus J, Guan J, Wagner WR. Fabrication of fibrous scaffolds of sub-micron scale from biodegradable poly(ester urethane) urea and type I collagen. Midwestern Tissue Engineering Consortium, Abstract 5-1, (2004).
Stankus J, Guan J, Wagner WR. Fibrous, elastic scaffolds fabricated from biodegradable poly(ester urethane) urea and collagen. 7th World Biomaterials Congress Transactions, Abstract 870, (2004).
Guan J, Stankus J, Fujimoto K, Wagner WR. Soft tissue engineering with biodegradable elastomers. 35th Central Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Abstract 36 (2003).
Stankus J, Guan J, Wagner WR. Creating biodegradable, elastic matrices with bioactivity and nanoscale features. Proceedings of the 2003 Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Fall Meeting, Abstract 2.P1.3 p19 (2003).
Stankus J, Guan J, Wagner WR. Electrospinning of poly(ester urethane) urea and collagen to construct biodegradable, elastomeric scaffolds with nanoscale fibers. Transactions of the 29th Annual Meeting of the Society for Biomaterials. Abstract 26:268 (2003).
Seminar Attendance
Society for Biomaterials 2005 Annual Meeting in Memphis, TN
Biomedical Engineering Society Fall 2005 Meeting in Baltimore, MD
AIChE 2005 Annual Meeting in Cincinatti, OH
2004 and spring 2005 Chemical Engineering Seminars at University of Pittsburgh
Advisor
William R. Wagner
Associate Professor of Surgery, Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering
University of Pittsburgh
