Christine E. Schmidt, PhD
Laurence E. McMakin Jr. Associate Professor

Office:	CPE 4.418	Mailing Address:
Phone:	512-471-1690	The University of Texas at Austin
Fax:	512-471-7060	Deptartment of Chemical Engineering
Email:	schmidt@che.utexas.edu	1 University Station C0400
UT Mail:	C0400	Austin, TX 78712-0231

Research Group Web Site
The Schmidt Lab

Presentation Made to Prospective Graduate Students 2008

Educational Qualifications:
Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1995)
NIH Postdoctoral Research Fellow, M.I.T. (1994-1996); Faculty Appreciation Award, BMES Student Chapter (1998); NSF CAREER Award Recipient (1998); James W. Vick Texas Excellence Award for Academic Advising (1999); Lockheed Martin College of Engineering Award for Outstanding Engineering Teaching by an Assistant Professor (2000)

Focus:
Cellular and tissue Engineering

Research:
Research in our group utilizes the molecular knowledge of cellular interactions in combination with fundamental engineering principles to gain insights into tissue structure and function, with the purpose of developing bioartificial tissues or enhancing native tissue function. The term "tissue engineering" has been coined to describe the interdisciplinary fields critical for the generation or regeneration of tissues and is nicely summarized as:

"... the application of the principles and methods of engineering and the life sciences toward the fundamental understanding of the structure-function relationships in normal and pathological mammalian tissues and the development of biological substitutes to restore, maintain or improve functions."

-- Skalak and Fox (eds.), Tissue Engineering, Alan Liss, 1988.

One central area of research in our lab involves tissue engineering in the nervous system with the goals of optimizing the connection (innervation) of host neurons with implanted bioartificial tissues or facilitating the regeneration of damaged or degenerated nerves. Different biomaterials, such as an electrically conducting polymer, are being investigated for their ability to enhance nerve cell function. A second focus of our research is the development of laboratory (in vitro) model tissue systems that can be correlated with conditions in the body (in vivo). In vitro systems offer several advantages, among which is the ease with which quantitative and molecular approaches can be applied. Currently, we are establishing an in vitro analog of a blood vessel for the purposes of understanding vascular development and regulation and for designing tissues suitable for use as vascular grafts in vivo. This research is performed in collaboration with Sulzer Innotec, an Austin-based biomedical company. A third general area of research focuses on understanding the mechanisms for tissue cell locomotion, which is fundamental to tissue regeneration as well as to many other biological processes including tumor cell metastasis, wound healing, and inflammation.

In all studies, quantitative molecular analyses of cell behavior are intimately coupled to more applied cell transplantation studies in order to derive basic relationships that can be applied to cellular and tissue engineering. Our ultimate goal is to render tissue engineering a more predictive science. State-of-the-art techniques such as video microscopy and image analysis, laser optical trapping (using a laser to micromanipulate particles), and genetic manipulations of cells will be utilized to investigate cell function and to help decipher the mechanisms for cellular response. A mechanistic understanding of cell function will inevitably help to better engineer cells and support matrices for cell transplantation therapy.

Selected Publications

• Winter J.O., C.E. Schmidt (2002). Biomimetic strategies and applications in the nervous system. In: Dillow, A., Lowman, A., ed. Biomimetic Materials and Design: Biointerfacial Strategies, Tissue Engineering, and Targeted Drug Delivery, Marcel-Dekker. pp. 375-415
• Rivers, T.J., T.W. Hudson, C.E. Schmidt (2002). Synthesis of a novel, biodegradable electrically conducting polymer for biomedical applications. Advanced Functional Materials.12:33-37.
• Furnish, E.J., W. Zhou, C.C. Cunningham, J.A. Käs, C.E. Schmidt (2001). Gelsolin overexpression enhances neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells. FEBS Letters.508:282-286.
• Winter, J.O., T.Y. Liu, B.A. Korgel, C.E. Schmidt (2001). Biomolecule-directed interfacing between semiconductor quantum dots and nerve cells. Advanced Materials.13:1673-1677
• Kotwal, A., C.E. Schmidt (2001). Electrical stimulation alters protein adsorption and nerve cell interactions with electrically conducting biomaterials. Biomaterials. 22:1055-1064.

 

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