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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Department of Surgery

Tissue Repair & Regenerative Surgery Research Lab

The Tissue Repair and Regenerative Surgery Research Laboratory is located in Tarry building on the Chicago campus of Northwestern University. The laboratory is co-directed by Robert Galiano, MD, Thomas Mustoe, MD, and Seok Hong, PhD, well-recognized investigators in the field of wound healing, scar treatment and tissue regeneration. The mission of the lab is to bring together scientists and clinicians to develop new therapeutic strategies for wound healing, tissue repair and regeneration that may be successfully applied to clinical practice. To this end, the laboratory consists of a multidisciplinary team of enthusiastic people: plastic surgeons, molecular biologists, microbiologists and bioengineers working together in the following areas: application of the mesenchymal stem cells, including adipose-derived stem cells, for wound/tissue repair and regeneration; the role of bacterial biofilm in impaired wound healing; chronic skin wound healing mechanisms in the context of ischemia, diabetes and aging; mechanisms of hypertrophic scar development and therapies for scar reduction; and the use of in-situ bioreactors to allow controlled tissue growth for tissue and organ replacement.

The following areas represent the current focus of research:

  • The use of in vivo bioreactors to allow controlled tissue growth in-situ. An exciting application is development of a novel biomask system for facial burn injuries. The goal is to develop and implement a strategy for the treatment of full and deep partial thickness facial burns and injuries using a novel system (i.e., Biomask) that directs growth of tissues in a way that combines advances in biology, surgery and engineering to provide an environment to achieve tissue regeneration, thereby restoring form and function.
  • Understanding the role of bacterial biofilm in impaired wound healing, the interactions of different bacterial species with the host inflammatory response and the effectiveness of various therapeutic approaches on eradicating these biofilms.
  • Exploring the potential of multipotent mesenchyme cells derived from adipose tissue and their applications for tissue repair and regeneration. The research will bring better understanding of the wound healing, scar repair and tissue regeneration processes.
  • Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying hypertrophic scar development and potential therapeutic strategies toward scar reduction by employing an in vitro and in vivo models and gene expression analysis.
  • Development of animal models to use in preclinical testing for industry and collaborating institutions.

Learn more via the links below.

Contact Us

For more information, email Jay Hong, PhD.

Our Team

Thomas Mustoe, MD
Adjunct Professor, Chief Emeritus

Robert Galiano, MD
Associate Professor, Director of Research

Seok Hong, PhD
Research Associate Professor

David Dolivo, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow

Adrian Rodrigues, MD
Research Associate

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