Ohnsorg Lab Research at
University of Wisconsin-Madison BME

POLYMER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

Bioinspired Polymers Architectures and Networks

The Ohnsorg lab leverages expertise in polymer synthesis and engineering to replicate unique bottlebrush and graft architectures that are found throughout almost all biological tissues.

BIOMATERIALS DESIGN

Dynamic Hydrogels for 3D Cell Culture

Synthetic hydrogel networks offer scientists exceptional control over many mechanical properties such as stiffness, diffusivity, and gelation stimuli. However, these materials are often static. We aim to leverage control over polymer architecture, connectivity, and dynamic chemical bonds to engineer tissue-specific synthetic extracellular matrix microenvironments for 3D cell culture.

DISEASE MODELS AND THERAPIES

Musculoskeletal Disease Modeling and Polymer Therapeutic Development

Through better understanding how the extracellular matrix changes during disease progression in musculoskeletal diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, we aim to develop hydrogel disease models and polymer-based therapies to study and treat bone and cartilage degenerative diseases.