Ph.D. Student Matthew O’Donohue Awarded Research Grant to Improve Artificial Tissue Engineering

Reconstructing new skin for a burn victim. Developing novel medications without animal testing. Reducing costs and clinical trials for life-saving cancer treatment.

These are just a few of the possibilities enabled by artificial tissue engineering, a relatively new and emerging biomedical engineering field that holds immense potential for advancing healthcare. Matthew O’Donohue, a Ph.D. candidate in the Applied Science program at SMU Lyle, is eager to explore what possibilities artificial tissue may unlock next.

O’Donohue was recently awarded a grant from The Kosciuszko Foundation to research micro fluidic approaches to tissue engineering that result in more accurate tissue models, more precisely mimicking where and how blood vessels are formed in the body. He’ll spend six months in Warsaw, Poland at the Polish Academy of Sciences researching under Dr. Jan Guzowski, a world-renowned tissue engineering expert.

—Introducing SMU Lyle’s new M.S. in Biomedical Instrumentation

Our bodies contain nearly 60,000 miles of blood vessels – enough to wrap around the Earth more than twice. Most tissue engineering models don’t accurately capture this intricate network, which creates limitations for mimicking processes in our bodies and testing drug efficacy.

Working with Dr. Guzowski, O’Donohue will use specialized magnetic particles to guide the growth of the vessels in the artificial tissues to better represent their complexity. 

“Applying biomedical engineering skills to improve healthcare is what drives me,” O’Donohue said. “We have tons of blood vessels in our bodies, and we aren’t accurately engineering that right now – we’re just approximating our tissues. The research I’ll be conducting in Poland could enable us to make more realistic models that could rapidly increase the rate drugs are being developed to treat diseases.”

O’Donohue will be building upon cutting-edge biomedical research he is currently conducting with Dr. MinJun Kim at SMU Lyle that uses nanopores to characterize proteins implicated in various disease states. These nanoscopic openings – smaller than the width of a human hair – can be used to sequence DNA for individualized patient care.

“I am always encouraging my students to seek out fellowship opportunities, as they can significantly broaden their horizons and research capabilities, contributing to their long-term success,” Dr. Kim said. “I am thrilled that Matthew has been awarded the Kosciuszko Foundation Fellowship. This award will allow him to apply the fundamental expertise he has developed as a nanopore researcher in my lab to a new environment focused on tissue engineering. His dedication and innovative approach make him exceptionally deserving of this prestigious award.”

After graduation, O’Donohue hopes to become a medical science liaison working for a biotech or pharmaceutical company to help influence and educate key opinion leaders, doctors, researchers, leaders of clinical trials, and more to impact drug development.

“I’m really drawn to research that can have a real-world, immediate impact,” O’Donohue said. “By engineering more accurate tissues, we can drastically improve healthcare and rapidly increase the rate drugs are being developed to treat various disease states, and that really motivates me.”

About the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering
SMU's Lyle School of Engineering thrives on innovation that transcends traditional boundaries. We strongly believe in the power of externally funded, industry-supported research to drive progress and provide exceptional students with valuable industry insights. Our mission is to lead the way in digital transformation within engineering education, all while ensuring that every student graduates as a confident leader. Founded in 1925, SMU Lyle is one of the oldest engineering schools in the Southwest, offering undergraduate and graduate programs, including master's and doctoral degrees.

About SMU 
SMU is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU’s alumni, faculty and nearly 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, community and the world.