Abstract :
Heart failure remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, driven by persistent coronary artery occlusion that reduces blood supply to the myocardium, leading to cardiomyocyte death and fibrotic remodeling. Effective revascularization of the injured myocardium is essential to restore tissue viability and preserve cardiac function. In this talk, I will present our strategies for engineering hydrogel platforms to actively promote revascularization. We developed a computationally designed affinity-based delivery system to precisely regulate the presentation of proangiogenic growth factors, and optimized matrix properties to support the transplantation and functional integration of CD34⁺ vascular progenitor cells. Together, these approaches aim to create a regenerative microenvironment capable of driving robust and functional vascularization.
Biography:
Dr. Yuan Yao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Division of Cardiology at University of British Columbia. She graduated from University of Waterloo, supervised by Dr. Evelyn Yim, and completed her postdoctoral training with Dr. Molly Shoichet in the Department of Chemical Engineering at University of Toronto. Her lab is located at the Center for Heart Lung Innovation at the St Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver.
Her research focuses on engineered biomaterials and biofabrication approaches for cardiovascular repair and regeneration.
