Kris Kilian, assistant professor of Materials Science and Engineering, has been awarded a 2-year grant from the National Institutes of Health in the amount of $400,302 for his project, "Deconstructing the cues in the mesenchymal stem cell microenvironment that promote secretion of pro-angiogenic molecules."
"An exciting new therapy for cardiovascular diseases involves the delivery of a patient's mesenchymal stem cells—which can be isolated from bone marrow or fat—to damaged heart tissue," Kilian explained. "It is believed that implanted mesenchymal stem cells secrete molecules that promote a healing response; however, the mechanism is unknown and there is significant variability in the success of the treatment."
In this project, the Kilian group will systematically explore the biophysical and biochemical factors that direct mesenchymal stem cell secretion in order to design new stem cell-based materials for cardiovascular therapy.
"It's terrific to have our research validated by the NIH," Kilian said. "The receipt of this grant allows us to continue exploring this important area, which has great potential in the battle against heart disease."
Kilian's research at Illinois is centered on the development of materials for stem cell and tissue engineering research. A primary effort is the design of surfaces that mimic the structure and composition of the cell and tissue microenvironment towards revealing the physical, chemical and biological cues that guide cell fate. The materials and systems developed in his group will serve as novel tools for fundamental biological research and for the fabrication of clinically relevant biomaterials.
Kilian joined MatSE in August 2011 after completing a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemistry from the University of Washington in 1999 and 2003, respectively, and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of New South Wales, Australia, in 2007.