• Calendar
• A-Z Index

Erin Lavik

 

Neuroscience

Assistant Professor Biomedical Engineering

Education

B.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1995
Sc.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2001

Research Interests

Our research focuses on pursuing new treatments for injuries to and diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) utilizing the principles of tissue engineering and drug delivery. We are particularly interested in developing new approaches to understand and promote repair of the spinal cord and retina following insult or injury. We seek to create environments that promote repair using three dimensional biodegradable polymer systems whereby we can control the temporal and spatial patterning of growth factors, the surface chemistry, and the physical guidance of cells. We are using these systems to study the cues which direct neural stem cells to proliferate and differentiate with the hope that we may be able to replace cells lost to injury and restore function.

Links

• Lavik Homepage

Recent Publications

• Ford, M.C., et al. (2006). A macroporous hydrogel for the co-culture of neural progenitor and endothelial cells to form functional vascular networks in vivo. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. (USA) 103:2512-2517.
• Li, Q., Ford, M.C., Lavik, E.B., and Madri, J.A. (2006). Modeling the neurovascular niche: VEGF and BDNF-mediated cross-talk between neural stem cells and endothelial cells: An in vitro study. J. Neurosci. Res. 84:1656-1668.

Contact

E-mail
erin.lavik@yale.edu