Project Grant R15EB033168

This Project Grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering will fund research at Hofstra University related to the development of plant-based vascular grafts. With $790,800 in funding over three years from August 2022 to July 2025, the university will pursue tissue engineering techniques to decellularize plant leaves and condition them as scaffolds for vascular grafts. The research aims to create a nonthrombogenic graft that mimics the mechanical and structural properties of native blood vessels. By providing a conducive microenvironment for endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cell adhesion, the decellularized plant scaffolds may maintain vessel patency and promote long-term endothelialization when preconditioned with fluid shear stress. The grant supports the Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health program's goal of advancing biomaterials and bioengineering technologies for biomedical imaging applications. The project also intends to enhance the research environment at Hofstra University by engaging undergraduate students in hands-on biomedical engineering research.