News

Scientists develop hydrogel platform that mimics human tissue

Susan Glairon — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 22:55:27 +0000

Scientists develop hydrogel platform that mimics human tissue Susan Glairon Thu, 03/12/2026 - 16:55

Susan Glairon

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (purple) interact with a hydrogel matrix (green). In viscoelastic materials, the cells can spread and reshape the matrix.

For decades, lab-grown cells have been studied in materials that don’t reflect the softness and flexibility of human tissue.

Bruce Kirkpatrick

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a water-rich, Jell-O-like material that more closely mimics how real tissues move, stretch and relax and whose liquid or solid state can be precisely controlled by light.

The work was recently published in the journal Matter and was directed by Distinguished Professor Kristi Anseth.

These new hydrogels will help scientists understand how mechanical cues from tissues affect cells, said Bruce Kirkpatrick, (PhDBioEngr'25), the paper’s first author and a third-year medical student. These insights could help improve our understanding of disease and how cells respond to drugs. It could also shed light on cell development—how stem cells mature into specialized cell types.

“The convention of growing cells on plastic for drug testing is problematic because plastic is stiff, while human tissue is flexible,” Kirkpatrick said. “Unless you're studying bone or other cells adapted to rigid environments, it’s not an appropriate mechanical setting for studying how cells respond to drugs.”

Kirkpatrick added that a key advantage of the hydrogel-based cell culture platform is its three-dimensional structure, which better reflects the environment cells experience in the body.

“The material we developed will help researchers better understand how mechanical environments influence cell behavior, not just the biochemical cues cells receive through surrounding liquid and nearby cells,” he said.

Shaped by light

Lea Hibbard

Most hydrogels form spontaneously when two liquids are mixed, but these gels provide less control and precision than the newly developed materials, Kirkpatrick said. In addition, researchers traditionally have shaped hydrogels using extrusion printing, a process similar to squeezing Play-Doh through a tube.

Instead, Kirkpatrick and the research team combined the new hydrogel’s dynamic properties with photopolymerization, using light to transform liquids into solids and encapsulate cells during three-dimensional printing. The new approach is faster and provides precise control over shape and material properties, Kirkpatrick said.

“With photopolymerization, we can control exactly how much light is applied, where it goes and when the hydrogel forms,” Kirkpatrick added. “The amount of light determines how much the material gels and its resulting mechanical properties. It gives researchers control over the shape, timing of cell encapsulation and spatial variation in properties.”

For example, if cells are encapsulated in a droplet and one side is exposed to light for only a few seconds while the other receives a longer or stronger dose, researchers can study what happens at the boundary between those regions, observing how cells migrate between them and how differences in mechanical properties influence their behavior.

Abhishek Dhand

The researchers also studied intestinal organoids—tiny lab-grown versions of the intestine—to see how they behaved in different environments. In the body, these cells exist in a soft, viscoelastic environment, where tissues stretch or deform under stress.

When the team placed the organoids in a hydrogel with similar properties, the cells took on natural shapes and expressed the right proteins. In other words, they behaved like they do inside the body.

“These findings suggest that viscoelasticity is essential for proper cell function and organization,” Kirkpatrick said.

Next steps

The researchers’ long-term goal is to use three-dimensional printing to produce large, cell-laden arrays of the new material for drug testing or disease modeling. This approach allows them to quickly create identical samples with high quality control and study how cells respond to gene mutations—such as removing a disease-linked gene—or to varying drug concentrations in the hydrogel environment.

The material could also help scientists study fundamental processes, such as how embryos organize cells to form correctly shaped organs, and investigate diseases like fibrosis, in which the body overproduces scar tissue in response to injury or chronic inflammation.

Co-first authors Abhishek Dhand, (PhDBioMedEngr’25), and PhD student Lea Hibbard (ChemBioEngr’24) contributed equally to this study. 91��ý faculty involved in the project included Professor Jason Burdick, Distinguished Professor Christopher Bowman and Professor Tim White.

A new light-controlled hydrogel developed at 91��ý mimics the movement and flexibility of real tissue, giving scientists a more realistic way to study cells and disease.

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New study shows how certain immune cells slow the body’s response to infection

Susan Glairon — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:52:08 +0000

New study shows how certain immune cells slow the body’s response to infection Susan Glairon Tue, 03/10/2026 - 11:52

Hannah Weppner

Research led by Hannah Weppner, a graduate student in the lab of Assistant Professor Laurel Hind, highlighting how a population of immune cells can weaken the body’s response to infection, was recently published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology and featured in the newsletter of the International Society for Lymphatic Biology (ISLB).

Using an infection-on-a-chip model with human cells, Hind and her team found that a population of immune cells called M-MDSCs can slow the recruitment of neutrophils—the body’s first responders—to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. The researchers also identified a signaling molecule, IL-10, that plays a key role in this process. When IL-10 was blocked, neutrophils were able to move normally again.

The findings reveal a new way infections can weaken the immune response and show how advanced human cell models help researchers study immune cell interactions.

Read the ISLB Q&A Read the journal paper

Assistant Professor Laurel Hind’s lab discovered how certain immune cells can suppress the body’s response to infection, using advanced human cell models.

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PhD student Erin Dunphy honored with Ludo Frevel Scholarship

Susan Glairon — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 23:07:01 +0000

PhD student Erin Dunphy honored with Ludo Frevel Scholarship Susan Glairon Thu, 02/12/2026 - 16:07

Susan Glairon

Chemical and Biological Engineering PhD student Erin Dunphy has won the prestigious International Centre for Diffraction Data’s Ludo Frevel Crystallography Scholarship, which recognizes research promise in the field of crystallography. Crystallography, the science of figuring out how atoms are arranged inside a solid material, has been essential in developing X-ray, electron and neutron diffraction methods to reveal the atomic structure of materials.

Tell me about your research

My research examines how polymers (long-chain molecules) and hydrocarbon (molecules made of hydrogen and carbon, such as fuels) attach to the surface of Ruthenium-based catalysts, which are used to speed up chemical reactions. Understanding this interaction is critical to improving catalytic processes for polymer upcycling, an innovative approach for converting plastic wastes into valuable products, such as jet fuels. By studying these interactions at the atomic level, we gain insight into how the materials bind and react, helping guide the design of more efficient catalysts.

What does receiving the Ludo Frevel Crystallography Scholarship Award mean to you?

Receiving the Ludo Frevel Crystallography Scholarship is a great honor that marks a milestone for my academic career. It's exciting that my research inspires others and reminds me that fundamental research is critical to the development of new technologies.

How will this scholarship support your research or academic goals?

Receiving this scholarship reinforces my commitment to tackling complex scientific challenges by developing techniques that deliver real-world solutions. I aim to continue pushing boundaries at the intersection of fundamental science and technology development.

What drew you to crystallography as a research focus?

My first experience with advanced crystallography was during a science undergraduate laboratory internship when I worked at the National Synchrotron Light Source II. While there, I realized that materials optimization, improving a material’s properties so it performs as well as possible for a specific application, is often the key bottleneck limiting progress in energy and infrastructure technologies.

What are you most excited to work on?

I am excited to finish my 91��ý research and to defend my thesis in June. I am performing my final single-crystal diffraction studies at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France. This technique allows scientists to map the atomic structure at the crystal interface.

For these experiments, I designed a custom reaction chamber that can operate at temperatures up to 250°C and pressures of 15 bar, allowing us to study materials under realistic working conditions. I also developed specialized software that processes and analyzes the data in real time.

What are your future research or career goals?

My sights are set on integrating renewable energy onto an industrial scale. Plastics recycling using catalysis offers a route to sustainable fuel generation which is part of creating a circular energy infrastructure. Ultimately using multiple forms of green energy generation (solar, wind) is all a part of the renewable energy infrastructure.

I hope to work with industry professionals to optimize new technologies and streamline deployment onto national and international scales.

How do you hope your work will contribute to the field?

My research looks at how molecules or atoms (called adsorbates) attach to the surface of a single crystal under realistic conditions for thermal catalysis. I hope my work encourages other researchers to study surfaces in environments that go beyond the extremely clean, ultra-high vacuum conditions typically used to more real-world operating conditions. Ultimately, my work helps expand surface science to investigate materials in contact with liquids, oils and membranes under practical pressures and temperatures, making the findings more relevant to real-world applications such as in thermal catalysis.

Dunphy's research involves studying interactions at the atomic level to design more efficient catalysts for polymer upcycling, an innovative approach for converting plastic wastes into valuable products, such as jet fuels.

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Alumnus establishes scholarship for students involved with ‘oSTEM’

Susan Glairon — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 12:39:42 +0000

Alumnus establishes scholarship for students involved with ‘oSTEM’ Susan Glairon Fri, 02/06/2026 - 05:39

Susan Glairon

From right, Thad Sauvain with his husband, Carl, in front of the Bernese Alps near Murren, Switzerland, in May 2025.

Thad Sauvain (ChemEngr’91) grew up in Colorado Springs in the 1980s, when the climate was largely anti-LGBTQ+ and conservative ministries such as Focus on the Family, headquartered just a few miles from his home, were actively opposing anti-discrimination policies.

Sauvain is part of the LGBTQ+ community, but during that period, he mostly kept that part of himself hidden.

“It was my transition to 91��ý to get a BS in chemical engineering that allowed both parts of me—as an engineer and as a gay individual—to grow and thrive,” he said.

Sauvain recently established a legacy endowment in his estate plan to fund undergraduate scholarships for 91��ý chemical and mechanical engineering majors, with preference given to students who demonstrate a commitment to the LGBTQ+ community through involvement in Out in STEM (oSTEM) or similar college programs.

Each year the endowment supports one student for four years of their college education.

“There’s a need to support students whose college funding may depend on families who are not accepting and who may be forced to choose between that funding and living authentically,” Sauvain said. “I want to support engineering students who struggle to thrive as LGBTQ+ individuals. I hope the endowment enables them to be their true selves while contributing to society as successful engineers.”

Thriving at CU

Sauvain studied chemical engineering at 91��ý and was later recruited to join Chevron as a process engineer. He recently retired following a 33-year career with the company and is a member of the Chemical and Biological Engineering Advisory Board.

“My engineering degree prepared me for my career and helped me build the connections that launched it,” he said.

Three years after starting his role at Chevron, Sauvain became involved in the company’s campus recruiting for engineers, a role that eventually grew into his work as a liaison for Chevron’s gifts, donations and funding.

In the early 2000s, he helped establish a Chevron scholarship for those involved in 91��ý’s LGBTQ+ community, similar to scholarships for other diversity organizations in place at the time, during “a time when it was not the norm.”

Thad Sauvain shortly after graduating from 91��ý and
starting his career with Chevron in 1991.

“Some responded negatively to this new scholarship,” he said. “But Chevron’s senior management remained steadfast in its support of the new scholarship as it aligned with the company’s values and The Chevron Way.

“Every time I tell people that I went to 91��ý, I feel a deep sense of pride,” he added. “Even back in the 1980s, it was a shining beacon of acceptance. I've seen that grow and broaden over the years, and I am very proud to be part of the CU community and a graduate of 91��ý's College of Engineering.”

Looking ahead

Sauvain recently met with oSTEM students to talk about the climate for today’s LGBTQ+ community and its historical context.

“I told them that in 1998 when Matthew Shepard was killed, you could not be out and visible, gay, transgender, anything. And though it seems like we're taking several steps backwards now, it has gotten better since then, and long term, I fully believe that it will again get better.”

Sauvain emphasized the College of Engineering’s strong support for the LGBTQ community, noting that he has seen this commitment firsthand through his work with Chevron, his service on the Engineering Advisory Board, and now through the creation of this endowment.

“Being part of the LGBTQ+ community is only one aspect of my being, just as my training as a chemical engineer is another,” he said. “Both have enriched my life in ways I never expected. My chemical engineering degree from CU enabled me to build a successful 35-year career in an industry not necessarily known for being accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, during which I came out to everyone in my life. I attribute my college years at CU with giving me the confidence to become my true self, both as an LGBTQ individual and as a chemical engineer, and I hope that this endowment will help others following a similar path.”

To learn more about adding the CU Foundation to your estate planning, contact the 91��ý Advancement Team.

Thad Sauvain (ChemEngr’91) recently established a legacy endowment in his estate plan to support undergraduate scholarships for 91��ý chemical and mechanical engineering majors, with preference for those who demonstrate a commitment to the LGBTQ+ community. Sauvain credits his own time at 91��ý, where he earned a BS in chemical engineering, with helping him thrive both as an engineer and as a gay individual.

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Arianna McCarty awarded Churchill Scholarship—the 4th in 91��ý history

Susan Glairon — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 17:18:22 +0000

Arianna McCarty awarded Churchill Scholarship—the 4th in 91��ý history Susan Glairon Fri, 01/30/2026 - 10:18

Chemical and biological engineering senior Arianna McCarty has earned the prestigious Churchill Scholarship, becoming just the fourth student in university history to receive the honor. The award will support a year of master’s study at the University of Cambridge, recognizing her exceptional research achievements and academic excellence.

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Dragan Mejic honored with Chancellor's Employee of the Year Award

Susan Glairon — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:35:45 +0000

Dragan Mejic honored with Chancellor's Employee of the Year Award Susan Glairon Wed, 01/28/2026 - 10:35

Dragan Mejic is the Instrument Shop Supervisor for Chemical and Biological Engineering, whose expert machining, welding and equipment design directly support student learning and cutting-edge faculty research. A trusted, positive presence in the department, he also advocates for state employees through volunteer leadership with the Secure PERA coalition.

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Wyatt Shields receives Grubstake Award to advance treatment toward clinical use

Susan Glairon — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:06:34 +0000

Wyatt Shields receives Grubstake Award to advance treatment toward clinical use Susan Glairon Thu, 01/22/2026 - 14:06

Assistant Professor Wyatt Shields

High-grade serous carcinoma is the deadliest form of ovarian cancer, and while a drug called olaparib can help prevent the cancer from returning, it often causes serious side effects. To address this challenge, Wyatt Shields, assistant professor in 91��ý’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Benjamin Bitler, associate professor in the CU Anschutz Division of Reproductive Sciences and CU PhD Student Courtney Bailey have developed a new way to deliver the drug more safely. Their approach uses tiny, biodegradable particles carried by immune cells to deliver treatment directly to tumors, helping reduce harmful effects on the rest of the body. Funding totaling $300,000 from the Gates Institute at University of Colorado Anschutz, in partnership with CU Anschutz Innovations, will support the next steps to move this technology closer to clinical use.

Read more at University of Colorado Anschutz News...

Assistant Professor Wyatt Shields along with other researchers have developed a safer, targeted way to deliver an ovarian cancer drug using immune cell–carried particles, supported by $300,000 in Gates Institute funding to advance it toward clinical use.

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Chemical and Biological Engineering welcomes two new faculty

Susan Glairon — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:53:05 +0000

Chemical and Biological Engineering welcomes two new faculty Susan Glairon Tue, 01/20/2026 - 11:53

Susan Glairon

Meet the department's newest faculty, Assistant Professors Cody Ritt and Antonio Del Rio Flores.

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Researchers create shape-shifting, self-navigating microparticles

Susan Glairon — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 21:17:52 +0000

Researchers create shape-shifting, self-navigating microparticles Susan Glairon Wed, 01/14/2026 - 14:17

CU researchers have created shape-shifting microparticles that change their shape in response to environmental factors for self-directed propulsion and navigation.

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Scientists use ultrasound to soften and treat cancer tumors without damaging healthy tissue

Susan Glairon — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 16:42:18 +0000

Scientists use ultrasound to soften and treat cancer tumors without damaging healthy tissue Susan Glairon Wed, 12/10/2025 - 09:42

A 91��ý team has invented a sound-wave technique that softens dense tumors so chemotherapy can penetrate more deeply. The discovery could boost treatment effectiveness and make cancer therapies safer for patients.

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