In the field of tissue engineering, Dr. West's research involves the development of bioengineered arteries that can be used to combat heart disease and problems that arise after angioplasty, the balloon procedure used to open clogged arteries. Dr. West has developed biodegradable scaffolding materials on which genetically engineered cells can grow. Additionally, she's developing polymer materials that can be coated on the arteries and that release nitric oxide, a key chemical that reduces clotting and assists in the healing process.

Another area of her work involves biomedical applications of nanoshells, ultrasmall metallic spheres that are engineered with special optical properties. Dr. West, in collaboration with nanoshell creator Naomi Halas, is exploring several biomedical applications for nanoshells, including cancer therapy, drug delivery and medical testing.

West received a B.S. in chemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biomedical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.ý

Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts: There is tremendous need for materials for small diameter vascular grafts. Synthetic materials have not proved suitable, and tissue transplantation is limited. Tissue engineering may provide an answer. My laboratory is approaching this problem from two directions; synthesis of novel scaffold materials that mimic extracellular matrix and genetic manipulation of the cells seeded into these scaffolds. The scaffold materials under development provide signals to promote cell adhesion, to control synthesis of matrix proteins, to regulate cell growth, and to allow degradation of the polymer as new tissue forms. The goals for genetic engineering of smooth muscle and endothelial cells are to reduce thrombosis and improve the mechanical properties of the engineered arteries.

NO-Releasing Polymers: Nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to have anti-thrombotic activity and to inhibit smooth muscle cell proliferation. Thus, NO may be useful in the prevention of restenosis, a frequent complication of procedures such as balloon angioplasty that is related to thrombosis and smooth muscle cell proliferation. My laboratory is developing novel biomaterials that produce NO for sustained periods under physiological conditions. In addition to the potential therapeutic applications, these materials can be utilized as a powerful new tool to allow us to investigate the effects of nitric oxide on cells and tissues.

Mechanisms of Restenosis: Thin hydrogel coatings can be used to prevent thrombosis and isolate the arterial wall from blood contact after injury. When this is done after angioplasty procedures in animals, restenosis is virtually eliminated. To gain insight into the roles of factors derived from thrombosis and blood, local drug delivery approaches can be combined with arterial coatings to provide exposure to these factors individually and at known levels. Through this, I hope to gain unique insight into the biological mechanisms involved in restenosis and arterial wound healing.

Medical Applications of Metal Nanoshells: Nanoshells are a new type of nanoparticle with tunable optical properties. For medical applications, these particles can be designed to strongly absorb or scatter light in the near infrared where tissue and blood are relatively transparent. In a cancer therapy application, nanoshells are designed to absorb light and convert the energy to heat for tumor destruction. By conjugating antibodies or peptides to the nanoshell surfaces, binding of nanoshells can be targeted to cancerous cells, and subsequent exposure to near infrared light results in specific and localized destruction of the cancerous cells. A photothermally modulated drug delivery system, optically-controlled valves for microfluidics devices, and a rapid whole blood immunoassay are also under development using nanoshells.