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About Lauren Flynn

Dr. Lauren Flynn is a biochemical engineer whose largely transdisciplinary research involves the use of adipose-derived stem cells in the context of regenerative medicine, wound healing, and therapeutic angiogenesis.

Children's Health Collaborators: Samuel Asfaha, David Hess, and Cheryle Seguin


Dr. Lauren Flynn is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering and Anatomy & Cell Biology at The University of Western Ontario. Following her undergraduate degree in Engineering Science, Dr. Flynn completed her Ph.D. in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry and the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto, investigating the design and characterization of natural bioscaffolds for adipose tissue engineering. In 2007, she joined Queen’s University as an Assistant Professor and was subsequently recruited to Western in 2014

The focus of Dr. Flynn’s research is on the development of cell-based regenerative therapies with adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ASCs) and bioscaffolds derived from the extracellular matrix (ECM) for applications in soft connective tissue regeneration, wound healing, and therapeutic angiogenesis. Her interdisciplinary and translational research program involves collaborations with engineers, biologists, imaging scientists, and clinicians, and is funded by the CIHR, NSERC, and Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

Dr. Flynn was the recipient of an Early Researcher Award from the province of Ontario in 2012, and she is currently the Co-Director of the CONNECT! NSERC CREATE Training Program in Soft Connective Tissue Regeneration/Therapy.


Research in the Flynn lab is focused on the application of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) in new cell-based therapeutic strategies for soft tissue augmentation and wound healing, therapeutic angiogenesis, and musculoskeletal regeneration. As a regenerative cell source, fat is abundant, easily accessible, and uniquely expendable. In culture, ASCs proliferate rapidly and can be stimulated to differentiate into mature bone, cartilage, adipose, and muscle cells, amongst other lineages. In terms of regeneration, ASCs can synthesize extracellular matrix (ECM) components, and can remodel tissue-engineered constructs to facilitate new tissue development. ASCs also indirectly modulate regeneration by secreting an array of paracrine factors that promote angiogenesis, limit apoptosis, enhance endogenous stem cell recruitment, and mediate the inflammatory response. While there is great promise, many questions remain in terms of how to safely and effectively apply ASCs in tissue-specific cell-based therapies before these methods can be advantageously translated to the clinical setting. A better understanding of the cell response within 3-D microenvironments is needed in order to achieve predictable regeneration and long-term functional recovery. To address these key challenges, the three central themes of ongoing research in the Flynn lab are:

(1) The design of dynamic culture systems for human ASC expansion
A bioreactor system that enables the large-scale expansion of the ASC population from small tissue biopsies, while maintaining the stem cell phenotype, would represent a significant advance towards the translation of ASCs for a broad range of clinical therapies. We are designing 3-D culture strategies for expanding human ASCs under serum-free conditions. Bioreactor systems can allow for better control over the culture conditions than static culturing and the shear forces applied under dynamic culture can influence cell shape, which has the potential to mediate stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

(2) Decellularized bioscaffolds for soft tissue regeneration and wound healing
The extracellular microenvironment plays a critical role in mediating stem cell lineage commitment and differentiation. There is evidence to support that this regulation occurs through both biochemical and biomechanical signalling. The complexity of these cell-ECM interactions points to the need for tissue-specific strategies to re-engineering stem cell niches. Recent studies have highlighted the potential for bioscaffolds derived from the ECM of tissues to naturally direct stem cell proliferation and differentiation. Building on our expertise in decellularization technologies, our group is engineering a range of ECM-derived biomaterials, including 3-D scaffolds, foams, films, microcarriers, and gels. Further, we are investigating ASCs within these bioscaffolds to probe the role of cell-ECM interactions in mediating ASC viability, proliferation and lineage-specific differentiation in the development of tissue-specific regenerative therapies.

(3) The development of tissue-specific injectable ASC delivery strategies
Injected ASCs have been shown to home to sites of injury and ischemic tissues. Depending on the context, a fraction of the ASCs may contribute to regeneration through direct engraftment and differentiation. However, recent studies suggest that transplanted ASCs may primarily function to promote healing by establishing a more regenerative milieu within the host through the secretion of paracrine factors that modulate the rate and extent of healing. Although ASCs have shown great potential for a broad range of applications in cell therapy, scientific hurdles remain in terms of how to best deliver the cells and how to sustain the localized regenerative effects to enable complete healing with functional recovery. Working in close collaboration with Dr. Brian Amsden at Queen’s University, our research team is designing new injectable ASC delivery strategies for applications in therapeutic angiogenesis and musculoskeletal regeneration.


Dr. Lauren Flynn joined the faculty at The University of Western Ontario in January 2014 and holds a joint appointment as an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. After completing her B.A.Sc. in the biomedical option of the Engineering Science program at the University of Toronto, she conducted her Ph.D. studies in the collaborative program through the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry and the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) at the University of Toronto. Subsequently, Dr. Flynn served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Queen's University from 2007 - 2013, where she was also cross-appointed to the Department of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences.

Dr. Flynn’s research interests focus on the development of cell-based regenerative approaches with adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) and naturally-derived bioscaffolds for applications in musculoskeletal regeneration (adipose tissue, cartilage, ligament and intervertebral disc). She has recently filed patents pertaining to novel biomaterials fabricated from decellularized adipose tissue (DAT) and is working towards the commercialization of the DAT technology for use soft tissue reconstruction and augmentation. With a focus on translational research, Dr. Flynn's team works closely with an interdisciplinary network of collaborators including scientists, engineers and clinicians. In 2012, Dr. Flynn was the recipient of an Early Researcher Award from the province of Ontario, and her research has been supported through operating grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO) and the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE).


Dr. Flynn’s research program is focused on the development of new cell-based regenerative strategies with adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) for soft tissue engineering applications. Her lab is designing systems to expand human ASCs in a clinically-relevant manner, while maintaining their capacity to proliferate and differentiate along multiple lineages. In addition, the team is also engineering novel bioscaffolds derived from the extracellular matrix (ECM) of both human and animal tissues, and is working to understand the role of tissue-specific cell-matrix interactions in mediating ASC behavior, with a particular focus on adipogenesis and angiogenesis. Dr. Flynn’s research is highly interdisciplinary, and she is also working with collaborators on new approaches with ASCs for cardiovascular, cartilage, and bone tissue engineering

Positions

Present Professor, Western University ‐ Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology
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Present Professor, Western University ‐ Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
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Present Scientist, Lawson Health Research Institute ‐ Children's Health Research Institute (CHRI)
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Recent Works (21)