Guest Editors
Abijeet Singh Mehta
Northwestern University
I have an interdisciplinary background in both Biomedical Engineering and Biological Sciences. I earned my Doctorate from the University of Dayton, Ohio, under the supervision of Prof. Amit Singh. During this time, I received a graduate showcase award for outstanding PhD research and recognition of excellence for teaching undergraduate students. My PhD research aimed to characterize novel regeneration genes from newts (Notophthalmus viridescence) using Drosophila as a genetic tool. Post PhD I did two years of postdoc in Prof. Min Zhao’s Bioelectronics lab at the University of California, Davis (UCD), during which I inspected endogenous bioelectric fields to facilitate cell migration, induce proliferation of peripheral nerves, and improve wound healing. In the lab of Dr. Jonathan Rivnay, Northwestern University, my current study focuses on the engineering and validation of biohybrid tissue electronics to promote tissue repair, specifically peripheral nerve regeneration. I like reading, playing cricket, riding a bike, backpacking, and photographing in my spare time.
Amit Singh
University of Dayton
I received my BSc from the Government Degree College Nahan, H.P. University, India, and MSc and PhD from Devi Ahilya University, Indore, India. After a short stint as a Research Associate in Transgenics of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, in the Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc.), Bangalore, India, I moved to Academia Sinica Taiwan to pursue post-doctoral research in the field of eye development using Drosophila melanogaster model system. In 2002, I moved to Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, to further pursue my work on Drosophila eye development and was promoted to an instructor (non-tenure-track faculty) position in 2004. I was hired at the University of Dayton as a tenure track assistant professor in 2007 and promoted to associate professor in 2013and full professor in 2018. To date, I have published one book and 61 papers.
Collection Overview
Development, regeneration, and cancer- three different fields- are bridged together in this methods collection with an intent to study fundamental aspects of biological sciences and encourage a more comprehensive application of techniques involved. Many signaling pathways, e.g., Wnt, Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK), etc., are applied during development and tissue regeneration, leading to various types of cancer when dysregulated. Therefore, highlighting the connection here. Since the last century, many methods involving classic animal models, e.g., Mouse, Newts, Zebrafish, Drosophila, C. elegans, etc., have been developed to study these three essential facets of biological sciences- development, regeneration, and cancer. Recent decades have also noticed considerable advancement in 3D cell culture techniques and innovative bioelectronic techniques. Complex combinations of these approaches result in elegant new ways to look at the fundamental biological paradigms. This Methods Collection aims to represent existing techniques involving animal models, in vitro studies, and 3D cell culture, as well as the innovative contribution of more recent approaches like 3D bioprinting of tissues/organs, utilizing microfluidic devices to study intricate biological cross-talks, fabrication of conductive 3D scaffolds and conduits for application in biology, electronic thin films to externally stimulate tissue to check the fundamental impact of electric fields on organ development/regeneration/cancer, organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors to sense and activate biological setups, utilizing various probe systems, e.g., vibration probe, ion-selective probe, and ion-selective dyes to map voltage gradients in vivo/in vitro, and artificial intelligence/ deep learning-based modeling strategies to predict biological patterns, e.g., development of organs, regeneration, the occurrence of diseases like cancer.
Articles
