Caroline Cvetkovic Thursday, April 20, 2023
Teaching Professor, Bioengineering 5:15 – 6:30 p.m.
The human brain is a highly developed and complex organ. Traditional experimental techniques such as animal models and 2D cultures are limited in their ability to represent the function and structure of a human brain. Organoids are 3-dimensional structures grown from stem cells that can resemble structural, functional, and genetic features of the tissues that they mimic. Recently, there has been an interest in using lab-grown neural organoids (or “mini brains”) to model and study neurodegenerative disease and injury. In this SAS, we’ll cover recent advancements in the field as well as challenges and implications on human health, and finally, discuss ethical concerns about this type of research.
Caroline Cvetkovic is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Bioengineering. She received her BS (2011), MS (2013), and PhD (2017) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (and is also an alumna of the Campus Honors Program)! Recently, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Houston Methodist Research Institute in the Center for Neuroregeneration before returning to Illinois. Her research interests include 3D printing, neuroengineering, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. She is also interested in communication of technical research to non-STEM majors.
*If registration is full email chp@illinois.edu to be added to a waitlist.
