BIOGRAPHY
Elahe studied her bachelor in the field of Cellular Molecular Biology-Microbiology in the Azad University of Tonekabon in Iran. Beside of her bachelor program, she also worked on different projects such as “Investigation of the Antibacterial Effect of Aquatic and Alcoholic Datura stramonium Extract” as well as “The Studies of Alcoholic and Aquatic Extract Provided From the Echinochloa Crus-galli on The Bacteria Growth in Vitro”. Moreover, she worked on different clinical laboratories in Tehran and Tonekabon. She finished his bachelor in 2008 graduating as a top student.
By winning the highly competitive Nuffic Huygens Scholarship (HSP) award in 2010, she started her Master study in Molecular Life Sciences at the Radboud University in Nijmegen.
During the first year of her Master study she followed an internship in the Department of Experimental Urology, where she worked on a project called: “Identification of prostate cancer stem cells”. She wrote a literature thesis for this internship, entitled “Expression of c-KIT in prostate cancer”. During the second year of her Master study she followed an internship in the Department of Matrix Biochemistry, where she work on a project entitled: “Investigation of Protective effect of Heparin on FGF-2 During Gamma-Sterlization for Tissue Engineering Applications”. She wrote other literature thesis entitled: “Protein nano-particles for tumor targeting and tissue engineering” during her second internship. She graduated from Radboud Univesrisy in Aug 2012. In 2013, she started her PhD in the Developmental BioEngineering group, University of Twente, under supervision of prof. dr. Marcel Karperien. Her current research focuses on development of Bioactive Scaffold for Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes.
SUMMARY OF RESEARCH
Intra-hepatic islet transplantation is a promising minimal invasive therapy to treat type1 diabetes. However, the decrease of islet mass caused by mechanical stress, the lack of oxygen due to impaired vascularization and the immediate blood mediated immune response as well as a shortage of suitable pancreas donors limit the implementation of this therapy. Extra-hepatic islet transplantation using tissue engineered constructs might help to overcome the abovementioned disadvantages.
The main goal of my research is to create bioactive scaffold for treatment of type1 diabetes. It will be accomplished by 3 strategies:
- Finding the optimal niche for β-cells by considering the biological effect of different pancreatic ECM components such as Laminin, Fibronectin, Collagen and Vitronectin on β-cells and selecting the most optimal components for cell metabolism, insulin secretion and morphology.
- Finding the assembly of biomolecules for the niche that can be used for both binding of the optimal ECM biomolecules and implantation in the body.
- Finding the proper topographical feature for the niche and scaffold.
CONTACT DETAILS
Elahe Hadavi, MSc
Department of Developmental BioEngineering
Building Zuidhorst, Room no. ZH 146
Drienerlolaan 5, PO box 217
7522NB Enschede, The Netherlands
Phone: +31-(0)53-4894285
E-mail: E.Hadavi@utwente.nl