Seminar

The Chemical Engineering Department is hosting a special graduate lecture on Optimization and simulation-based approaches to manage logistics of trucks and ships in large supply chains.

The Chemical Engineering Department is hosting a special graduate lecture on Optimizing Experiments: From Data-Driven to Intrusive Model-Based Methods. 

Bioinks for bioprinting and injectable biomaterials share a common thread in fluid mechanics (rheology) in that the flow properties of the material are crucial to successful application. Beyond shear-thinning behavior, properties including yield stress and storage modulus recovery are important, and speak to the ‘paste-like’ quality of the material. Two applications in regenerative medicine will be highlighted: traumatic brain injury and cartilage injury.

In severe traumatic brain injuries, often a portion of the skull is surgically removed to relieve pressure from the brain swelling, but a 2nd surgery is required to fill that gap in the skull. We have proposed a paste-like biomaterial that could potentially eliminate the 2nd surgery.

Our goal is to implant the biomaterial at the time of the original surgery,to be crosslinked to stay in place, flexible to allow the brain to swell, deliver anti-inflammatory drugs locally to the brain, and then transition into bone over time. Initial studies with bone regeneration and drug delivery have shown promise.

Abstract :

Humanity faces multiple converging crises such as pandemics, climate change, ecosystem degradation, and environmental pressures from rising global prosperity. We urgently need transformative solutions. At the same time, the past three decades have also witnessed sterling advances in genomics, synthetic biology, and computation, which have re-cast living systems as programmable platforms for innovation. Biology has now matured into a form of infrastructure - an enabling layer upon which solutions to health, the energy transition, material de-fossilization and the circular economy can be built.

Just as physical infrastructure underpinned the industrial age and digital infrastructure drives the current information age, biological infrastructure now offers the foundation for a sustainable one. Engineered biological systems can facilitate a more rapid response to emerging threats, enable sustainable resource recovery, as well as upcycle waste into high-value products. In this sense, biology is no longer confined to the laboratory; it is becoming the scaffolding of a new industrial paradigm where living and designed systems work in concert to sustain civilization.

The Chemical Engineering Department is hosting a special graduate lecture on Polymeric Applications of Waste Mussel Shell. 

The Chemical Engineering Department is hosting a special graduate seminar on Materials and interfaces for the next generation batteries.

The Chemical Engineering Department is hosting a special graduate seminar on Environmental Sustainability Challenges in Canadian Healthcare.

Photopolymerization reactions have been explored and utilized since the time of the ancient Egyptians; however, development of new photopolymerization methodologies and applications continues at an ever more rapid pace.  Traditionally, photopolymerization of multifunctional monomers results in highly crosslinked materials suitable for applications as optical lenses, optical fiber coatings, and dental materials.  These reactions are ubiquitous not only because of the nature of the final polymer product, but also for the characteristics of the reaction itself.  Photopolymerizations are far more energy efficient than their thermal counterparts, are typically performed in a solventless manner that is more environmentally compatible, the reactions occur rapidly at ambient conditions, and the polymerization can be controlled in both time and space.

Abstract:I

It is clear, that by mid-century, to avoid the worst-case scenarios of anthropogenic climate change, our society will have to rely on sustainable and renewable resources rather than fossil fuels. Biomass is a key proposed component of several climate mitigation strategies, with substantial involvement of future energy and material systems. The general objective of my research is utilizing biomass, photo/bio/electro-catalysts, and cell factories to design and fabricate renewable and sustainable bioproducts and systems, via bioinspired routes, for Energy, Environmental, and Biomedical application. These hybrid technology approaches provide potential route to economically viable energy production (hydrogen + biofuels) + biomass CO2 captured negative emission technologies (NET) (biomaterials + biochemicals), thus are clearly an important early step in the complete decarbonization of our society. In this presentation, I will introduce our new technology platform of using photocatalysis and photo/electro-bio hybrid system for biomass valorization. I will also talk about our recent progress on design and fabrication of cellulose based materials with genetically engineered proteins for biomedical application

Enabling technology platforms for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine research

CHAN PUI BARBARA

SBS, iTERM, BME, CUHK

The research focus of the Tissue Engineering Lab at CUHK centers around bioengineering of cell- and biomaterial-based complex living tissue substitutes for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. During the prolonged journey of developing engineered tissues for regenerative medicine purposes, we have faced many technical challenges associated with the major components of engineered tissues including stem cells, biomaterials and cell niche signals. A handful of technology platforms were developed to enable and facilitate research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine research, including but are not limited to (1) a multiphoton microfabrication and micropatterning (MMM) technology to define the cell niche interactions; (2) a multi-level mechano-regulation (MMR) platform to facilitate mechano-characterization and manipulation of cells and tissues; and (3) a biomimetic biomacromolecular microencapsulation (BBM) platform to facilitate physiologically relevant scaffolding. In this seminar, the rationales, the technological capability and the relevant applications will be discussed.