Melissa Krebs

Associate Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering

  There is a critical need for replacement tissues due to organ failure and tissue loss. The field of tissue engineering seeks to regenerate diseased or damaged tissues by providing the necessary physical, biochemical, and cellular cues that promote tissue regeneration. These approaches typically use biomaterial scaffolds, often with incorporated bioactive factors to help induce the formation of the desired tissue within a defect site. In the body, cells are influenced by a large host of factors, including soluble signals such as growth factors, insoluble signals that are components of the extracellular matrix surrounding the cells, and also the interaction of various populations of cells with each other.

Our group is interested in the development of biopolymer systems that will allow the study of cells’ interactions with their microenvironment and that can be used for tissue regeneration and therapeutics. We are investigating the controlled delivery of bioactive factors and therapeutics, the presentation of insoluble signals to cells, the effect of mechanical forces on cell behavior and tissue formation, and the influence that different cell populations have on one another. These advances will lead to improved biomaterial system design criteria. The applications that we are researching include growth plate cartilage regeneration, trabecular meshwork cell behavior that is important in glaucoma, diabetic wound healing, and bone and dental tissue regeneration. Ultimately, what we learn in our laboratory will help to improve patient therapies that are available in the clinic.

Contact

431 Alderson Hall
1613 Illinois Street
Golden, CO 80401
Office: (303) 273-3983
Fax: (303) 273-3730
mdkrebs@mines.edu

Research Group

  • Bikram Adhikari, University of New Orleans

Krebs Research Group Website

Education

  • BS, MS – University of Rochester
  • PhD – Case Western Reserve University
  • Post-Doctoral Study – Case Western Reserve University and University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Selected Publications

  • Adhikari B, Stager MA, Krebs MD. Cell-instructive biomaterials in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A, 111(5), 660-681, May 2023.
  • Stager MA, Adhikari B, Raichart A, Krebs MD. Self-Initiated Photopolymerization of Anti-Inflammatory Hydrogels with Sustained Release. ACS Macro Letters, 12(1), 65-70, Jan. 2023.
  • Adhikari B, Osmond MJ, Pantcheva MB, Krebs MD. Glycosaminoglycans Influence Extracellular Matrix of Human Trabecular Meshwork Cells Cultured on 3D Scaffolds. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, November 17, 2022.
  • Stager MA, Thomas SM, Rotello-Kuri N, Payne KA, Krebs MD. Polyelectrolyte Complex Hydrogels with Controlled Mechanics Affect Mesenchymal Stem Cell Differentiation Relevant to Growth Plate Injuries. Macromolecular Bioscience, 22(9), e2200126, Sept 2022.
  • Stager M, Bardill J, Raichart A, Osmond M, Niemiec S, Zgheib C, Seal S, Liechty K, Krebs MD. Photopolymerized Zwitterionic Hydrogels with Sustained Delivery of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticle-miR146a Conjugate Accelerates Diabetic Wound Healing. ACS Applied Bio Materials, 5(3), 1092-1103, March 21, 2022.
  • Adhikari B, Stinson B, Osmond MJ, Pantcheva MB, Krebs MD. Photoinduced Gelatin-Methacrylate Scaffolds to Examine the Impact of Extracellular Environment on Trabecular Meshwork Cells. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2021 Class of Influential Researchers Special Issue, 60(48), 17417-28, Nov. 24, 2021.
  • Stager MA, Erickson CB, Payne KA, Krebs MD. Fabrication of Size-Controlled and Emulsion-Free Chitosan-Genipin Microgels for Tissue Engineering Applications. Journal of Visualized Experiments, Accepted April 2022.
  • Stager M, Bardill J, Raichart A, Osmond M, Niemiec S, Zgheib C, Seal S, Liechty K, Krebs MD. Photopolymerized Zwitterionic Hydrogels with Sustained Delivery of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticle-miR146a Conjugate Accelerates Diabetic Wound Healing. ACS Applied Bio Materials, 5(3), 1092-1103, March 21, 2022.
  • Adhikari B, Stinson B, Osmond MJ, Pantcheva MB, Krebs MD. Photoinduced Gelatin-Methacrylate Scaffolds to Examine the Impact of Extracellular Environment on Trabecular Meshwork Cells. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2021 Class of Influential Researchers Special Issue, 60(48), 17417-28, Nov. 24, 2021.

Google Scholar Citations Page

 

Honors and Awards