Stephanie Seidlits

Stephanie Seidlits is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas. She holds the Carl Ernest and Mattie Ann Muldrow Reistle, Jr. Centennial Fellowship in Engineering. Her research focuses on developing clinical therapies for central nervous system injuries and disorders such as spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and glioma formation. Her work integrates biomaterial microenvironments and advanced imaging tools to study differences between healthy and diseased neural tissues, aiming to translate findings into therapies using hydrogels, gene/protein delivery, and cell replacement strategies.

Research Highlights:

• Biomaterial-based hydrogels to model tumor microenvironments
• Investigation of extracellular matrix mechanics (e.g., stiffness, HA concentration) on cancer cell behavior
• Development of 3D culture platforms for neural stem cells and glioblastoma models
• Exploration of metabolic pathways in cancer cells under biomaterial influences

Awards & Recognition: While no specific awards are listed, her research has been supported by institutions like the NSF (CAREER award noted in 2017).

Grants & Collaborations: Active projects include NSF-funded work on hyaluronic acid biomaterials and spinal cord regeneration. Her lab, the Seidlits Research Group, focuses on translational neuroengineering solutions.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Seidlits Research Group, dedicated to advancing biomaterial-based therapies for nervous system disorders.