What are you currently working on? “My research lab is focused on developing cell therapies to treat a variety of conditions, including chronic wounds, peripheral vascular disease, and soft tissue damage, where there is a need for strategies to promote new blood vessel formation. In particular, we use a regenerative cell population called adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) sourced from fat. ASCs are similar to the mesenchymal stromal cell population that's found in the bone marrow, but offer advantages of being more accessible, expendable and abundant (most people would have a sample of fat to donate), as well as having some differences in their capacity to stimulate regeneration. One of the things that the field is now discovering is that these cells primarily function in the body by secreting factors that help establish a more pro-regenerative environment, rather than functioning by differentiating to form tissues. We call this cell empowerment. ASCs have the remarkable ability to stimulate new blood vessel formation and modulate the inflammatory response to create a more permissive environment for healing. So, we're developing strategies to be able to harness this cell empowerment ability more effectively. My background is in bioengineering. Building from this, one of our strategies involves designing biomaterial platforms that can promote cell survival and help guide cell function, including injectable materials and larger scaffolds tuned for different applications. If you think about a human chronic wound, it's a very hostile environment – we need to shift that to support the regenerative cells so that they can function much more effectively.”
Dr. Lauren Flynn Professor (Joint Appointment with Chemical & Biochemical Engineering) More about her research https://bit.ly/FlynnInfo Contact Info lauren.flynn@uwo.ca (519) 611-2111 ext. 87226
What are some of your future goals? “My long-term goal is to see our technologies translated to the clinic. We do a lot of preclinical work in our lab, including cell culture studies, as well as validation in small animal models. Recently I submitted a CIHR yesterday where we're proposing to move grantgrant where we're proposing to move into a large animal model to test a novel wound into pig therapy, studies. which I thinkisthat that's an excitingtowards sort of clinical transition, healing an exciting transition application. I was fortunate to have moving great mentors from a when small Imodel startedtoas aa larger professor, animal who model. encouraged I think also meI to be mindful of whether there is was fortunate to benefit fromtogood mentors when I started at as could a intellectual property related our therapeutic approaches that be patented. Promisingly, we professor, and they were very mindful encouraging me to think have had several patents issued on ourof scaffolding platforms. I'm also working with WORLDiscoveries about whether have intellectual thatbe could be patented. to connect withI industrial partnersproperty who might interested in commercializing our technologies. I'm That's very excited also something about fundamental that I have research been doing. and understanding We have several what's happening in terms of the cell patents in the lab on to some the scaffolds that we have biology, but I also want moveofforward on that translational aspect. Hopefully, we can get our developed. alsoclinic working to look for technologiesI'm to the wherewith theyWORLDiscoveries could really help people.” potential industrial partners who might be interested in 22
commercializing our technology. I'm very excited about fundamental research and understanding what's happening in
