Shreya Nallaparaju

First Name: 
Shreya
Last Name: 
Nallaparaju
Mentor: 
Dr. Brian Meckes
Abstract: 
Specialized interactions between cells coupled with the spatial organization of various cellular building blocks within tissues into hierarchical structures dictate the composition of multicellular systems and effectively determine the method by which cells collaboratively function as tissues. Primarily, cell-to-cell communication enables the maintenance of a tissue’s supracellular network and greatly influences cell differentiation, proliferation, and growth/division. An increased understanding of cell communication paves the way to uncover novel insight into cell regeneration, organ repair, embryonic development, and numerous other developmental disorders. Thus, the proposal seeks to develop biofunctional self-assembled monolayers, consisting of cell-adhesive peptides with photocleavable protecting groups. The employment of such polymers allows one to selectively activate a surface using light, and parallelly control the placement of different cells in contact with each other to comprehend how contact-mediated communication between stem cells and two or more different cell types regulates stem cell fate.
Poster: 
Programmable Oligonucleotide Directed High-Throughput, High Resolution 3D Printing of Cell Assemblie
Year: 
2021