Research
Professor Stephanie Bryant is leading a $33.57 million federal grant to reverse osteoarthritis, and the New York Times is taking notice.
A Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder-led team has developed a suite of new therapies aimed at reversing osteoarthritis in a single injection. With animal studies showing promise and funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health extended, the team could be ready for human trials by 2028. Professor Stephanie Bryant is the principal investigator of the project.
Distinguished Professor Kristi Anseth has received theÌýBiomaterials Global Impact Award, which recognizes distinguished research and development accomplishments in the field of biomaterials. Anseth is known for developing tissue substitutes that improve treatments for conditions like broken bones and heart valve disease.
Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder researchers and partners at MIT, Harvard and Columbia are working to recreate the human liver’s complex structure in the lab. With support from a $25 million ARPA-H grant, the team aims to develop 3D-printed, transplantable liver tissue made from human cells that the body won’t reject. Professor Jason Burdick's lab at CU’s BioFrontiers Institute will lead the 3D printing component of the project.
A new light-controlled hydrogel developed at Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder mimics the movement and flexibility of real tissue, giving scientists a more realistic way to study cells and disease. The work was recently published in the journal Matter and was directed by Distinguished Professor Kristi Anseth.
Assistant Professor Laurel Hind’s lab discovered how certain immune cells can suppress the body’s response to infection, using advanced human cell models.
Professor Michael D. McGehee and his team are advancing tandem solar cells—pairing silicon with a high-efficiency material called perovskite—that could significantly improve the economics of renewable energy. While the technology shows great promise, making perovskites durable enough for commercial use remains a key challenge. In October 2025, just as the research was gaining momentum, the Trump administration abruptly terminated the team’s federal grant.
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.
Meet the department's newest faculty, Assistant Professors Cody Ritt and Antonio Del Rio Flores.
Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØresearchers have created shape-shifting microparticles that change their shape in response to environmental factors for self-directed propulsion and navigation.