Molly Stevens group
Our goal is to study the fundamental science of cell-material interactions and apply this knowledge to the design of biomaterials that translate into clinical solutions.
Molly Stevens
Professor
Summary research
The ability to regenerate damaged tissue is one of the great challenges in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Our goal is to study the fundamental science of cell-material interactions and apply this knowledge to the design of biomaterials that translate into clinical solutions. Our group is developing approaches to control cell behaviour through their innate ability to sense and respond to local meso-, micro-, and nanoscale patterns of chemistry, stiffness, and topography. Our polymer systems can be functionalised for drug delivery and with biological and synthetic cues to instruct the entire lifecycle of the tissue, from cell binding and differentiation, to cell-induced material remodeling and ultimate tissue organisation and function. These materials though designed for the clinic can be also used as platform systems to study a wide variety of instructive environments for tissue regeneration and cell fate. The Stevens group is also innovating how the cell-material interface can be explored with cutting edge materials analysis approaches such as live cell micro-Raman spectroscopy and correlative nanoscale resolution imaging approaches.
We are working in close collaboration with our sister group at Imperial College London, UK www.stevensgroup.org.
The Stevens group has been awarded over 20 major awards including the 2014 Research group of the year at the European Life Sciences Awards and the EU40 Prize from the European Materials Research Society for best materials scientist under 40.
Group members
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Helene Autefage | Projektledare |
| Hanna Barriga | Postdoktor, marie curie |
| Christopher Grigsby | Postdoc |
| Margaret Holme | Anknuten |
| Juha Ojala | Anknuten |
| Miina Ojansivu | Anknuten |
| Alessondra Speidel | Anknuten |
| Annina Steinbach | Anknuten |
| Molly Stevens | Professor |
| Christopher Wood | Postdoktor, marie curie |
Selected publications
Sparse feature selection methods identify unexpected global cellular response to strontium-containing materials.
Autefage H, Gentleman E, Littmann E, Hedegaard MA, Von Erlach T, O'Donnell M, et al
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2015 Apr;112(14):4280-5
Biodegradable silicon nanoneedles delivering nucleic acids intracellularly induce localized in vivo neovascularization.
Chiappini C, De Rosa E, Martinez JO, Liu X, Steele J, Stevens MM, et al
Nat Mater 2015 May;14(5):532-9
Biologically-active laminin-111 fragment that modulates the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in embryonic stem cells.
Horejs CM, Serio A, Purvis A, Gormley AJ, Bertazzo S, Poliniewicz A, et al
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2014 Apr;111(16):5908-13
Peptide-directed spatial organization of biomolecules in dynamic gradient scaffolds.
Chow LW, Armgarth A, St-Pierre JP, Bertazzo S, Gentilini C, Aurisicchio C, et al
Adv Healthc Mater 2014 Sep;3(9):1381-6
Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine: a year in review.
Harrison RH, St-Pierre JP, Stevens MM
Tissue Eng Part B Rev 2014 Feb;20(1):1-16
Nano-analytical electron microscopy reveals fundamental insights into human cardiovascular tissue calcification.
Bertazzo S, Gentleman E, Cloyd KL, Chester AH, Yacoub MH, Stevens MM
Nat Mater 2013 Jun;12(6):576-83
Designing regenerative biomaterial therapies for the clinic.
Pashuck ET, Stevens MM
Sci Transl Med 2012 Nov;4(160):160sr4
Plasmonic ELISA for the ultrasensitive detection of disease biomarkers with the naked eye.
de la Rica R, Stevens MM
Nat Nanotechnol 2012 Dec;7(12):821-4
The role of intracellular calcium phosphate in osteoblast-mediated bone apatite formation.
Boonrungsiman S, Gentleman E, Carzaniga R, Evans ND, McComb DW, Porter AE, et al
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2012 Aug;109(35):14170-5
Plasmonic nanosensors with inverse sensitivity by means of enzyme-guided crystal growth.
Rodríguez-Lorenzo L, de la Rica R, Álvarez-Puebla RA, Liz-Marzán LM, Stevens MM
Nat Mater 2012 May;11(7):604-7
Exploring and exploiting chemistry at the cell surface.
Mager MD, LaPointe V, Stevens MM
Nat Chem 2011 Jul;3(8):582-9
Ordering surfaces on the nanoscale: implications for protein adsorption.
Hung A, Mwenifumbo S, Mager M, Kuna JJ, Stellacci F, Yarovsky I, et al
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011 Feb;133(5):1438-50
The effects of strontium-substituted bioactive glasses on osteoblasts and osteoclasts in vitro.
Gentleman E, Fredholm YC, Jell G, Lotfibakhshaiesh N, O'Donnell MD, Hill RG, et al
Biomaterials 2010 May;31(14):3949-56
Comparative materials differences revealed in engineered bone as a function of cell-specific differentiation.
Gentleman E, Swain RJ, Evans ND, Boonrungsiman S, Jell G, Ball MD, et al
Nat Mater 2009 Sep;8(9):763-70
Complexity in biomaterials for tissue engineering.
Place ES, Evans ND, Stevens MM
Nat Mater 2009 Jun;8(6):457-70
Exploring and engineering the cell surface interface.
Stevens MM, George JH
Science 2005 Nov;310(5751):1135-8
In vivo engineering of organs: the bone bioreactor.
Stevens MM, Marini RP, Schaefer D, Aronson J, Langer R, Shastri VP
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2005 Aug;102(32):11450-5