Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

An important yet elusive goal of tissue engineering is to achieve the best integration of host tissues with implanted biomaterials such as joint prostheses and dental implants. The surface texture, or topography, of implants can determine the quality of the tissue-implant interface as it influences the fundamental cell functions during the development of the interface. However, little is known about how surface topography affects the behavior of blood platelets, which are among the first cells to contact an artificial surface, for example after surgical placement of an implant. We are conducting this study with a view to improving our understanding of how surface topography regulates platelet behavior. This line of investigation should help us understand how surfaces can be modified to optimize platelet behavior at the developing tissue-implant interface.