The Ashton Laboratory
Faculty > Randolph S. Ashton
Randolph S. Ashton
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
rashton2@wisc.edu
Featured Research in Fall 2011 SCRMC Newsletter
Organ System/Disease Focus
Regenerative therapies for the central and peripheral nervous systems.
Aligned Research Focus
Human pluripotent stem cell-based regenerative therapies; Tissue engineering; Biomaterials
Research Description
In the Stem Cell Bioprocessing and Regenerative Biomaterials Laboratory, we endeavor to engineer novel materials and methodologies that optimally instruct lineage-specific differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in a reproducible and scalable manner. Our lab employs a range of techniques including microfabrication, molecular biology, recombinant protein engineering, synthetic chemistry, and automated live-cell imaging to develop high-throughput screening methods for investigating the quantitative, temporal, and nano-scale qualitative characteristics of cellular microenvironmental factors that regulate stem cell fate in vivo. Our goal is to understand, model, and recapitulate in vitro the instructive signals utilized by human embryos to pattern tissue-specific differentiation of embryonic stem cells, and apply this knowledge towards the rational design of tissue engineer scaffolds and other regenerative therapeutic strategies.
Our research is highly interdisciplinary with topics ranging from novel biomaterials to stem cell biology. We currently specialize in developing regenerative therapies for the central and peripheral nervous systems. However, we actively seek collaborations and look to expand into other systems, including vascular and muscular tissues.
Selected References
Ashton RS, Keung AJ, Peltier J, Schaffer DV (2011). Progress and Prospects in Stem Cell Engineering. Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 2: 479-502. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-061010-114105
Banerjee, A., Arha, M., Choudhary, S., Ashton, R.S., Bhatia, S.R., Schaffer, D.V., Kane, R.S. (2009). The influence of hydrogel modulus on the proliferation and differentiation of encapsulated neural stem cells. Biomaterials, 27: 4695-4699. PMCID19539367
Wall ST, Saha KS, Ashton RS, Kim K, Schaffer DV, Healy KE (2008). Multivalency of sonic hedgehog conjugated to linear polymer chains modulates protein potency. Bioconjugate Chem. 19: 306-312. PMCID18380472
Ashton RS, Banerjee A, Punyani S, Schaffer DV, Kane RS (2007). Scaffolds based on degradable alginate hydrogels and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres for stem cell culture. Biomaterials, 28: 5518-5525. PMCID17881048
Ashton RS, Peltier J, Fasano CA, O'Neill A, Leonard J, Temple S, Schaffer DV, Kane RS (2007). High-throughput screening of gene function in stem cells using clonal microarrays. Stem Cells, 25: 2928-2935. PMCID17673524