Laura Suggs
Assistant Professor
Biomedical Engineering
Phone: (512) 232-1671
Email: laura.suggs@mail.utexas.edu
Dr.
Sugg’s Web site
Dr. Laura Suggs earned her Ph.D. in chemical engineering with a concentration in biomaterials and tissue engineering from Rice University in 1998. She joined the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin in 2004. In 2002, she received the National Science Foundation’s Advance Fellowship for outstanding female professors.
Dr. Suggs researches the development of biologically active materials and their use and behavior in cardiovascular tissue engineering. She works to better understand molecular and cellular mechanisms during processes such as vasculogenesis (formation of blood vessels) as well as the structure of both natural and synthetic polymers and their effect on living tissues. With this fundamental knowledge base, biomaterials can be designed to mimic naturally-occurring structures found in the supporting extracellular matrix. Suggs’ lab uses polymer synthesis and characterization through traditional wet chemistry techniques in addition to various biochemical analysis techniques. She cultures bone marrow stem cells and evaluates differentiated phenotype and function using immunohistochemistry (using antibodies to detect antigens) and polymerase chain reaction (copying DNA to have enough to use in lab experiments). Her lab is also working on developing in vitro models of vascularization (blood vessel growth) based on coronary vessel development during embryogenesis (embryo formation).
Research Interests:
- Cardiovascular tissue engineering
- Extracellular matrix analogs (polymers that mimic structural proteins)
- Adult progenitor cells (adult stem cells derived from bone marrow)
- Vasculogenesis (formation of blood vessels)