04/23/2025
By Danielle Fretwell

The Francis College of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering & Biotechnology, invites you to attend a Doctoral Dissertation Proposal defense by Mert Gezek on: "Three-Dimensional (3D) Fabrication Approaches for Biomaterials in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine."

Candidate Name: Mert Gezek
Degree: Doctoral
Defense Date: Friday, May 2, 2025
Time: 2-4 p.m.
Location: ETIC 301

Committee:

  • Advisor: Gulden Camci-Unal, Ph.D., Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Sanjeev Manohar, Ph.D., Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Thomas A. Wilson, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical & Nutritional Sciences, UMass Lowell
  • Jay Hoon Park, Ph.D., Department of Plastics Engineering, UMass Lowell

Abstract:
The regeneration of complex tissues remains a central challenge in biomedical engineering, particularly in the repair of critical-sized bone defects. Traditional grafting approaches, while effective in some cases, are hindered by complications such as donor site morbidity, immune rejection, and limited material availability. These limitations have prompted the development of biomaterial-based 3D (three dimensional) scaffolds with tunable biological, mechanical, and structural properties to address a broad range of clinical and experimental needs in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This dissertation focuses on the utilization of various three-dimensional scaffold fabrication approaches to develop functional biomaterial constructs for tissue regeneration. These methods include extrusion-based 3D printing, laser cutting, and bioprinting, applied across a variety of natural and synthetic materials. In some cases, a single fabrication strategy is employed; in others, techniques are combined to leverage their complementary strengths. This flexible approach enables the investigation of how fabrication method and material selection influence scaffold performance. One representative study involves the incorporation of eggshell microparticles into polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds, demonstrating enhanced osteogenic differentiation and biodegradation properties while advancing the use of sustainable bioceramics in thermoplastic-based platforms.

This dissertation proposal is organized around three specific aims:(1) To fabricate 3D biomimetic scaffolds using biofabrication techniques; (2) Characterize the physiochemical, thermal, and mechanical properties of 3D constructed scaffolds using tools such as SEM, FTIR, XRD, DSC, and mechanical testing; and (3) Evaluation of cellular response to 3D biofabricated scaffolds and characterization of their functionality in vitro. Future work will involve extended material characterization, including energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), rheological analysis, and surface property evaluation, as well as the development of vascularized constructs.