Advancing tissue transplantation
Our team is working to develop next-generation regenerative medicine therapies for clinical application to overcome barriers in current tissue grafting procedures for patients with trauma, cancer and disease.
Overview
The Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory of Lichun Lu, Ph.D., at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, develops novel synthetic polymers as scaffolds for tissue engineering and carriers for controlled cell and drug delivery.
Our lab studies the effects of material properties, including polymer chemistry, surface characteristics, 3D morphology, mechanical properties and degradation profiles, on the structural and functional regeneration of missing, damaged or diseased tissues. Our team focuses on polymer design, synthesis, fabrication and evaluation using in vitro cell culture and in vivo animal models.
Our lab boasts an outstanding multidisciplinary team of clinicians, polymer chemists, biomedical engineers, imaging scientists and biologists who work collaboratively to conduct research that benefits a wide range of patients who require tissue transplantation because of trauma, tumors or disease.
Next-generation regenerative medicine therapies
By understanding the complex interactions among cells, scaffolds, extracellular matrix molecules, mechanical signals and soluble bioactive factors, our research team hopes to develop next-generation regenerative medicine therapies for bone repair, spine fracture risk prediction and treatment, nerve regeneration, and targeted cancer treatment.
About Dr. Lu
Dr. Lu is a professor of biomedical engineering and a professor of orthopedics at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Lu is also a primary faculty member in the Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery Research.