Rice engineer wins prestigious Annu...( in the lab -- blood vessels that can be...)

in the lab -- blood vessels that can be used in procedures like coronary artery bypass grafting for patients with advanced heart disease. To achieve this, she is synthesizing so-called scaffold materials, novel new materials that mimic extracellular matrix and provide a structure for the growth of replacement blood vessels.

To promote tissue growth, the scaffolds contain biochemicals that promote cell adhesion, control synthesis of matrix proteins, regulate cell growth and promote the breakdown of the scaffold as new tissue grows around it. Using the latest techniques in genetics and biotechnology, West is designing improved signaling schemes to increase the growth rates of cells seeded onto scaffolds and to make the grafts more resistant to recurrence of disease.

The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation is a federal government agency established to "encourage and support research, study and labor designed to produce new discoveries in all fields of endeavor for the benefit of mankind." Governed by a Presidential appointed Board of Trustees, the Foundation seeks to nurture and recognize pioneering individuals and programs that reflect the visionary spirit and pioneering heritage of Christopher Columbus.

The foundation was created by Congress in 1992 and endowed with funding from the sale of three denominations of limited-edition coins created by the U.S. Mint to mark the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Americas.

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Contact: Jade Boyd
jadeboyd@rice.edu
713-348-6778
Rice University
11-Oct-2004

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