Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Jennifer West’s research in biomaterials and tissue engineering involves the synthesis, development, and application of novel, biofunctional materials, and the use of biomaterials and engineering approaches to study biological problems. Current projects include the design of ECM-mimetic hydrogel materials, novel microfabrication strategies for biomimetic patterning, and nanoparticle theranostics.
Appointments and Affiliations
- Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering
- Adjunct Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
- Professor of Chemistry
- Affiliate of the Duke Regeneration Center
Contact Information
- Email Address: jennifer.l.west@duke.edu
- Websites:
Education
- Ph.D. University of Texas, Austin, 1996
Research Interests
Biomaterials, nanotechnology and tissue engineering that involves the synthesis, development, and application of novel biofunctional materials, and the use of biomaterials and engineering approaches to study biological problems.Courses Taught
- BME 221L: Biomaterials
- EGR 790: Special Topics in Engineering
In the News
- A Milestone Toward Cancer Therapy Without Chemotherapy and Surgery (Aug 28, 201…
- Three Duke Researchers Named To National Academy Of Inventors (Dec 12, 2016)
- Jennifer West, Two Others Elected to National Academy of Engineering (Feb 8, 20…
- Chemotherapeutic Coatings Enhance Tumor-Frying Nanoparticles (Jul 13, 2015)
- Pratt's Jennifer West Wins 2015 Clemson Award (Apr 8, 2015)
- Dual Contrast Agent to Light Up Arterial Health Risks (Jul 11, 2014)
- Faculty Council Reboots Campus Conversation on Diversity (Jan 20, 2014)
Representative Publications
- Katz, Rachel R., and Jennifer L. West. “Tunable PEG Hydrogels for Discerning Differential Tumor Cell Response to Biomechanical Cues.” Advanced Biology 6, no. 12 (December 2022): e2200084. https://doi.org/10.1002/adbi.202200084.
- Katz, Rachel R., and Jennifer L. West. “Reductionist Three-Dimensional Tumor Microenvironment Models in Synthetic Hydrogels.” Cancers 14, no. 5 (February 2022): 1225. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14051225.
- Chapla, Rachel, Joshua A. Hammer, and Jennifer L. West. “Adding Dynamic Biomolecule Signaling to Hydrogel Systems via Tethered Photolabile Cell-Adhesive Proteins.” Acs Biomaterials Science & Engineering 8, no. 1 (January 2022): 208–17. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c01181.
- Marrotte, Eric J., Khari Johnson, Ryan M. Schweller, Rachel Chapla, Brian E. Mace, Daniel T. Laskowitz, and Jennifer L. West. “Induction of Neurogenesis and Angiogenesis in a Rat Hemisection Spinal Cord Injury Model With Combined Neural Stem Cell, Endothelial Progenitor Cell, and Biomimetic Hydrogel Matrix Therapy.” Crit Care Explor 3, no. 6 (June 2021): e0436. https://doi.org/10.1097/CCE.0000000000000436.
- Abar, Bijan, Alejandro Alonso-Calleja, Alexander Kelly, Cambre Kelly, Ken Gall, and Jennifer L. West. “3D printing of high-strength, porous, elastomeric structures to promote tissue integration of implants.” Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. Part A 109, no. 1 (January 2021): 54–63. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbm.a.37006.