Bio
Amanda received her Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering from Lehigh University. She remains at Lehigh and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Bioengineering. In addition to her studies as an undergraduate student, she also competed as a Division I NCAA athlete on the women’s soccer team. Amanda still enjoys playing soccer along with running, hiking, and cooking.
Work
Amanda’s research focuses on analyzing the pericellular degradation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) encapsulated in poly(ethylene) glycol hydrogels using multiple particle tracking microrheology. Specifically, she is interested in studying how the addition of soluble signaling molecules such as cytokine TGF-β affects the pericellular degradation of encapsulated hMSCs and their migration. In vivo, cytokines act to recruit hMSCs to wounds in order to aid the healing process. However, there are cases in which the hMSCs are not able to reach the injury, resulting in a chronic wound. This research has clinical significance as these systems can be used to locally deliver hMSCs to nonhealing wounds. Additionally, by studying the cellular response of hMSCs to TGF-β in vitro, we gain a better understanding of how these molecules affect cell-mediated degradation and migration which may allow for the design of a novel treatment for healing chronic wounds.