by Sarah Anderson, PhD – Exploring Drug Discovery and Development
Like a differentiated stem cell, Lonnie Shea’s strong foundation in fundamental cellular biology underwent just the right prompts to evolve into a proliferative biomedical research career. During graduate school, he studied drug interactions with cell surface receptors and downstream signaling pathways. As the field of tissue engineering gained a foothold, he recognized an opportunity to leverage his expertise to advance the translational potential of new classes of biomaterials. Shea studied biomaterials and tissue engineering as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, and as he encountered unmet needs in regenerative medicine, found applications for his research ranging from ovarian follicle maturation to spinal cord regeneration (1). “I’ve always tried to approach it from the perspective of how we can design materials with the right cues for the cells to actually be able to have the development or function that would be required of them,” he said.