Nazia Mehrban

I am currently an Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in Biotechnology at the University of Bath. My background is highly interdisciplinary spanning biology, chemistry, and engineering. Before joining University of Bath, I was a Senior Research Fellow at University College London. During this period, I was also a Visiting Scholar at University of Pittsburgh McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine in the laboratory of Professor Stephen Badylak. Prior to this I was a Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Bristol in the peptide chemistry group of Professor Dek Woolfson which I joined after acquiring a PhD in Tissue Engineering from University of Birmingham.

Using my unique, integrated skill set I have previously engineered ligaments, skin, dental pulp, airway tissue and neural tissue; specifically focussing on fundamental underpinning work designing and manufacturing bespoke biomaterials for unmet clinical needs. These ‘smart’ materials are chemically and physically tuneable allowing control of cellular behaviour towards engineering new functional tissue. They also promote an anti-inflammatory environment in the body and integrate with the surrounding healthy tissue. Most recently I was named co-investigator on a £6.1M multi-institute grant to tailor these cutting-edge materials towards implantable soft robots.

At University of Bath the Mehrban Group remains a multidisciplinary group working at the interface between biology, chemistry, and engineering. We focus on designing, manufacturing, and characterising bespoke biomaterials for various clinical applications. Our research crosses the boundary between natural and synthetic materials and uses a bottom-up design approach. We tailor these cutting-edge ‘smart’ materials towards specific applications including;

• tissue repair and regeneration to restore functionality
• exploration of the bio-material interface towards integration with healthy tissue in vivo
• extracellular matrix reconstruction and promotion of an anti-inflammatory environment in vivo
• delivery of therapeutic agents
• building material components for implantable soft robots and other medical devices