2022 MRM Talks: Dr. Joseph M. Kinsella and Salvador Flores-Torres
The MRM Network presents: the MRM Talks. Join us every fourth Thursday at noon to learn more about stem cells and regenerative medicine. The webinar series will feature leading scientists in the field, including MRM Principal Investigators and external guest speakers.
For each seminar, we will also highlight the work of one MRM Trainee, who will present alongside our guest speaker.
In this edition of the MRM Talks:
Dr. Joseph M. Kinsella,
Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering,
McGill University
“Developing mechanically tunable decellularized extracellular matrix gels to grow patient-derived organoids”
MRM TRAINEE:
Salvador Flores-Torres,
Ph.D. Candidate in the Kinsella Lab,
McGill University
“Bioprinting the elements of neoplastic diseases”
THURSDAY, September 22, 2022
12:00 – 1:00 PM
VIRTUAL
Missed the presentation? You can catch up on our Youtube Channel.
About the speakers:
Matt Kinsella joined the Dept of Bioengineering at McGill University in 2012. At McGill his lab has focused on the development of extracellular matrix mimicking hydrogels for patient-derived organoid development, and extrusion bioprinting to form complex in vitro tissue models. His lab has previously demonstrated that composite materials constituted of sodium alginate, a seaweed-derived polysaccharide, and gelatin, a bovine or porcine-derived denatured collagen, can be tuned to recapitulate the mechanical properties of soft tissues while maintaining biocompatibility and printability. Here, he will discuss a bioink prepared by decellularizing tissue and incorporating alginate and gelatin as rheological modifiers to reinforce and positively impact the composite material’s mechanical integrity. Using dECM (decellularized extracellular matrix) gels allows us to preserve structural proteins, glycosaminoglycans, and growth factors from the tissue of origin.
His group has demonstrated this methodology to create breast and head and neck tumor models using immortalized cell lines and, more recently, lung, gastric, and breast models derived from patient tumor samples. Of particular interest is the ability to build complex 3D geometric structures using soft materials (bioinks) that recapitulate the mechanical properties of solid tumors, retain a bioactive microenvironment, can be printed with high cell density, has control over the initial cell location, and expresses in vivo like phenotypical behaviour.
Prior to McGill, Prof. Kinsella was an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, San Diego (2008-2012) and the Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute. There his research efforts focused on developing novel nanoparticle probes for tumor-targeted CT imaging and methods for delivering difficult to administer therapeutics for cancers and ocular diseases. Prior to his postdoc, he received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University in 2007.
Salvador Flores-Torres is a Ph.D. Candidate in Bioengineering at McGill University. He obtained his masters degree in Biomedical and Biological Engineering at McGill University. Currently, his research focuses on engineering the tumor heterocellular microenvironment using patient-derived tissues. Using 3D bioprinting, he is currently developing and characterizing an in vitro gastric cancer model for immuno-oncology research.
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