BME PhD Preliminary Exam Announcement for Kentaro Umemori (D. Little, advisor) Everyone is invited to attend the public presentation beginning at 9:30 AM EST. Research Title: The Impact of Polymer on 3D Meltblown Scaffolds and the Epigenome of Adipose-Derived Progenitors Thesis Committee Members: * Dr. Dianne Little D.V.M. Ph.D. (Chair) * Dr. Deva Chan Ph.D. * Dr. Luis Solorio Ph.D. * Dr. Vikki Weake Ph.D. Date and Time: Monday, April 17th at 9:30 AM EST Location: MJIS 2001 Abstract: Over 460,000 rotator cuff tendon tears occur annually in the US, but even after surgery, the retear rate is up to 90% for massive tears. To augment the repair process, tendon tissue engineering approaches seek to improve these outcomes using biomimetic scaffolds. Currently, electrospinning is a common strategy to fabricate scaffolds. However, this process is difficult to translate due to difficulties in scalability and repeatability. This led to the development of 3D meltblowing (3DMB) which introduces a robotic collector that can produce scaffolds at high speeds with highly organized fibers. My preliminary data demonstrate cell proliferation and collagen deposition in 3DMB poly-L-lactic acid and poly-ε-caprolactone scaffolds cultured with adipose derived stem cells (ASCs). However, there were substantial differences in neo-collagen alignment and tendon-related proteomic datasets between polymers. These disparities suggest that biophysical and biochemical cues related to the polymer type are the underlying cause. However, how these cues promote transition of the ASC epigenome towards those of tendon fibroblasts in response to biomaterials is unknown. Therefore, my overall hypothesis is that the specific polymer used for production of 3DMB scaffolds is critical for promotion of a tendon-related epigenetic landscape in ASCs. To test this hypothesis, I propose the following Aims. Aim 1: I will perform epigenetic profiling of ASCs and tendon fibroblasts to pinpoint the epigenetic markers related to tendon. Aim 2: I will perform a polymer screen and epigenetic analysis of 3DMB scaffolds to identify the impact of polymer type on tendon-related epigenetic marks. Collectively, this study will provide a template for the modification of epigenetic processes to stimulate ASC differentiation to tendon fibroblasts and will significantly advance the understanding of the influence of polymer type on the epigenome during engineered tendon development.