Purdue University School of Chemical Engineering GRADUATE SEMINAR SERIES Prof. Julie Liu Purdue University "Engineering Cell-Microenvironment Interactions for Stem Cell Differentiation and Tissue Regeneration" Thursday, March 1, 2012 9:00-10:15 A.M. FRNY G140 Reception at 10:15 A.M. in Henson Atrium Abstract: Tissue engineering therapies are currently being developed to replace diseased or damaged tissues such as cartilage, bone, and arteries. Due to their high proliferative capacity and their plasticity, stem cells have emerged as a promising cell source for tissue engineering strategies. To successfully utilize stem cells in treatments, however, it is necessary to develop efficient and effective methods for stimulating homogeneous cell differentiation. This talk will present our work on peptide-based cues for promoting differentiation of stem cells towards the cartilage fate or the endothelial cell fate. We will also present our work on developing a protein-based biomaterial for use in cartilage regeneration. Bio: Julie Liu received her B.S.E. in chemical engineering from Princeton University. She received a Whitaker Foundation Fellowship in Biomedical Engineering to pursue her Ph.D. in chemical engineering with a minor in biology from the California Institute of Technology. She was awarded an NIH postdoctoral fellowship to work with Jane Lian and Gary Stein in the field of bone and cartilage biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In 2008, she joined the faculty of the School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University. She has been awarded a 3M Nontenured Faculty Grant and the American Heart Association Scientist Development Grant to support her research in protein engineering, biomaterials development, and cell-microenvironment interactions.