Natan Barros, Postdoctoral Researcher

Dr.Natan Barros received his Chemistry degree from Brazil in 2013. He then obtained a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from São Paulo State University in 2020. During his Ph.D., he studied functional dressings to assist in diabetic wound healing. He joined the Khademhosseini lab in October 2018 as a visiting research scholar at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA. He studied the development of a skin-on-a-chip model. The skin model was constructed by employing biofabrication techniques to assemble layers of bioprinted endothelium, 3D dermis, and multilayered epidermis. The platform was further employed for creating a human skin cancer model and targeting the cancer cells by transdermal drug delivery using microneedles, proving the capability to monitor and treat skin-related diseases. Natan is interested in microfluidics, microphysiological systems (organs-on-chips, tissue chips), sensors, and tissue engineering techniques to create tissue models and study drug interactions. He is also interested in utilizing biofabrication techniques to form vascularized tissues with appropriate microarchitectures as well as regulating stem cell differentiation in microengineered environments. Synthesis and engineering of functional biomaterials as sealants and tissue-engineered scaffolds are also interesting for him. He has been seeking to apply his experience and training in the characterization of biomaterials and biofabrication techniques to a new and exciting field in the Khademhosseini lab.