How and why the body works are questions researchers have been trying to answer for decades, and Danaher grant recipient and Metro Washington Scholar Jessica Stelzel has joined the cause to help answer the question by studying tissue remodeling. 

“The human body and immune system are incredibly fascinating because we don’t fully understand how the body works, why it works, and why it does the things it does,” says Stelzel.

Stelzel is a PhD Candidate studying a specific type of biomaterial, nanofiber-hydrogel composites, at Johns Hopkins to learn how they induce soft tissue remodeling. The inventor of the nanofiber hydrogel composite runs the lab where Stelzel works. Stelzel explains each part of the biomaterial.

Biomaterials, such as screws or implants, can be inserted into the body to supplement bone or tissue.

“I find the field of biomaterials, which are materials made to interface with the human body, to be incredibly interesting because I get to answer intriguing questions by working in both materials science and biology," Stelzel shares.

Nanofibers are extremely small, tiny fibers. “Hydrogels are three-dimensional structured networks of crosslinked polymers that hold a large amount of water,” she explains. “A polymer is a long molecule of repeated units.” She compares it to spaghetti, and when you crosslink polymers, it's like you are attaching the strands of spaghetti together. 

Together, the tiny fibers are combined with the hydrogel to make a composite material that allows more cells to infiltrate while still remaining strong and stiff. These qualities make it an excellent material for tissue remodeling.

While tissue regeneration is considered the holy grail, tissue remolding is a step in that direction. “We’re not at the point where we can grow new fingers or limbs,” she says. Instead, tissue regeneration focuses on the cells migrating into this biomaterial and remodeling to resemble tissue.

Stelzel provides fistulas as an example of an application for which this material has been used. The nanofiber hydrogel composites can be injected into the site to close the fissure because the biomaterial is remodeled into soft tissue. Another example would be plastic surgery. Instead of taking skin tissue from elsewhere on the body, surgeons could inject this biomaterial into the area to fill the missing volume.

Stelzel takes pride in her work because uncovering the fundamentals of tissue remodeling will be extremely important for scientific progress in the area. “We’re trying to figure out how to eventually get to regeneration, but the first step is to understand how tissue remodeling happens before we build on it,” she explains.

Stelzel is grateful to be a Danaher grant recipient as it allowed her to upgrade to a new computer—one that doesn’t crash when she inputs data, causing her to lose her work. “The new computer has been revolutionary for my productivity,” she exclaims.

She’s also used the funds to attend conferences where she can showcase her research and brainstorm with colleagues studying similar topics. This year, she attended the World Biomaterials Congress in South Korea and the Gordon Research Conference in Tuscany, Italy.