Berit Løkensgard Strand
Background and activities
Areas of speciality/Fields of responsibility
- Biopolymers (alginate) in tissue engineering
- We use small alginate gels for protection of transplanted cells against the host immune system. This is in particular relevant for diabetes: Type 1 diabetes can be cured by transplantation of insulin producing cells in protective microcapsules withpout the use of immunesuppression. We make new materials by enzymatic modification that are tailored for use in microcapsules. Combining enzymatic modification and chemical modification (e.g. metacrylation and coupling of bioactive peptide) allows further tailoring of the capsuels for specific purposes. Important capsule properties includes stability, biocompatibility, size and pemeability in addition to function as growth and differentiation matrix for encapsulated cells. We collaborate with universities in Europe, Australia and the US through The Chicago Diabetes Projec, in EUFP7 project BetaCellTherapy and COST collaboration in addition to close collaboration within NTNU.
- The goal of the alginate mineralization project is to make new materials of alginate and crystals. Studies of algiante and calcium carbonate shows that alginate hinders growth of large crystals so that maily small crystals are formed within the gel network. The project is a collaboration between Department of Physics, Department of Process Engineering and Department of Biotechnology where we aim to make new materials with new properties for the use in tissue engineering.
- The projects are financed through the Norwegian Research Council, EUFP7, the Liaison Committee between the Central Norway Regional Health Authority (RHA) and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), EXTRA funds from the Norwegian Foundation for Health and Rehabilitation through the Norwegian Diabetes Association, and the Chicago Diabetes Project.
Links:
Scientific, academic and artistic work
A selection of recent journal publications, artistic productions, books, including book and report excerpts. See all publications in the database
Journal publications
- (2019) Mechanical Properties of Ca-Saturated Hydrogels with Functionalized Alginate. Gels. vol. 5 (2).
- (2019) Viscoelastic properties of nanocellulose based inks for 3D printing and mechanical properties of CNF/alginate biocomposite gels. Cellulose. vol. 26 (1).
- (2019) Efficient Grafting of Cyclodextrin to Alginate and Performance of the Hydrogel for Release of Model Drug. Scientific Reports. vol. 9 (1).
- (2018) Alginate encapsulation as long-term immune protection of allogeneic pancreatic islet cells transplanted into the omental bursa of macaques. Nature Biomedical Engineering. vol. 2.
- (2017) Mechanical Properties of Composite Hydrogels of Alginate and Cellulose Nanofibrils. Polymers. vol. 9 (8).
- (2017) Current and Future Perspectives on Alginate Encapsulated Pancreatic Islet. Stem Cells Translational Medicine. vol. 6 (4).
- (2017) Transformation of brushite to hydroxyapatite and effects of alginate additives. Journal of Crystal Growth. vol. 468.
- (2016) A correlative spatiotemporal microscale study of calcium phosphate formation and transformation within an alginate hydrogel matrix. Acta Biomaterialia. vol. 44.
- (2016) Gelling kinetics and in situ mineralization of alginate hydrogels: A correlative spatiotemporal characterization toolbox. Acta Biomaterialia. vol. 44.
- (2016) Efficient functionalization of alginate biomaterials. Biomaterials. vol. 80.
- (2015) Culture of hESC-derived pancreatic progenitors in alginate-based scaffold. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. Part A. vol. 103 (12).
- (2015) RGD-peptide modified alginate by a chemoenzymatic strategy for tissue engineering applications. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. Part A. vol. 103 (3).
- (2015) Nucleation and Growth of Brushite in the Presence of Alginate. Crystal Growth & Design. vol. 15 (11).
- (2015) Osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells in mineralized alginate matrices. PLOS ONE. vol. 10 (3).
- (2014) Lyase-catalyzed degradation of alginate in the gelled state: Effect ofgelling ions and lyase specificity. Carbohydrate Polymers. vol. 110.
- (2014) Advances in biocompatibility and physico-chemical characterization of microspheres for cell encapsulation. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. vol. 67-68.
- (2013) Analysis of G-Block Distributions and Their Impact on Gel Properties of in Vitro Epimerized Mannuronan. Biomacromolecules. vol. 14 (10).
- (2013) Acute hypoxia impacts similarly on encapsulated and non-encapsulated human pancreatic islets. Diabetologia. vol. 56.
- (2013) Alginate Microencapsulation of Human Islets Does Not Increase Susceptibility to Acute Hypoxia. Experimental Diabetes Research. vol. 2013.
- (2013) Sustained function of alginate-encapsulated human islet cell implants in the peritoneal cavity of mice leading to a pilot study in a type 1 diabetic patient. Diabetologia. vol. 56 (7).