Minh Nguyen
Associate Professor
Biomedical Engineering
Case Western Reserve University
United States of America
Biography
Minh Khanh Nguyen, Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering
Research Interest
Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are an attractive cell source for tissue regeneration as they can be signaled to differentiate into more specialized cells such as osteoblasts, chondrocytes and adipocytes. Understanding how to direct hMSCs encapsulated within a scaffold to differentiate into a specific phenotype is important for regenerating the corresponding tissue. I am interested in developing biomaterial hydrogels for spatiotemporally controlled delivery of RNA interfering (RNAi) molecules such as short interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) to regulate stem cell gene expression. The ultimate goal is to use these RNAi molecules to direct osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs to repair injured bone and cartilage tissues.
Publications
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Nguyen MK, Huynh CT, Lee DS: pH-sensitive and bioadhesive poly(β-amino ester)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(β-amino ester) triblock copolymer hydrogels with potential for drug delivery in oral mucosal surfaces. Polymer, 50(22): 5205-10, 2009.
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Nguyen MK, Alsberg E: Bioactive factor delivery strategies from engineered polymer hydrogels for therapeutic medicine. Progress in Polymer Science, 39(7): 1235–65, 2014
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Nguyen MK, Jeon O, Melissa KD, Schapira D, Alsberg E: Sustained localized presentation of RNA interfering molecules from in situ forming hydrogels to guide stem cell osteogenic differentiation. Biomaterials, 35(24): 6278–86, 2014.
