MASc Oral Exam|Biointerface Topography for Enhanced Nonviral Gene Delivery by Abigail Conner

In a closed MASc Oral Exam Abigail Conner will be discussing her research.

Abstract: Biomaterial-mediated nonviral gene delivery has gained recent interest due to its potential to facilitate localized transfection while providing scaffolding for regenerating tissues. Surface topography can also be incorporated onto the biointerface to prime cells for transfection. In this thesis, a chitosan-polyethyleneimine (CS-PEI) copolymer is used as a gene carrier for plasmid DNA and microRNA. The use of topography to enhance CS-PEI transfection is explored in multiple contexts, with an emphasis on vascular tissue engineering applications.

Supervisor: Professor Evelyn Yim