Areas of Research
Biopolymer Engineering
Using microbially-derived and regenerated proteins/starches, the Kaplan Lab is engineering novel biopolymers for sustainable biomaterials and biomedical applications.
Cellular Agriculture
Cellular agriculture is the use of animal cells to produce food, such as cultured meat. Our lab is a pioneer in the field, focused on differentiation of muscle cells, flavorings, and both cell line and media development.
Tissue Engineering
We seek to develop novel tissue engineering techniques enabling the repair and enhancement of damaged tissues, while also creating methodologies to effectively model these processes.
Biomedical Devices
The Kaplan Lab utilizes the unique and robust material properties of silk to produce a variety of scaffolds and medical devices. Techniques such as thermopressing, 3D printing, and molding can create a variety of constructs with tailorable properties.
Neuroscience and Neurobiology
Our neuroscience research utilizes tissue engineering and stem cell techniques to investigate molecular pathways, cellular changes, and neural circuit defects in disorders like traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease.
Recent News
New Cellular Agriculture Consortium Will Help Develop the Foods of the Future
Recently, the Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture (TUCCA) announced the creation of the TUCCA Consortium, consisting of industry and nonprofit members, to support research in a field that many consider the future of food.
Publication Highlights
Silk-protein-based gradient hydrogels with multimode reprogrammable shape changes for biointegrated devices
PNAS (2023)
Cultivated Meat from Aligned Muscle Layers and Adipose Layers Formed from Glutenin Films
ACS Biomaterials Science Engineering (2024)
Multifunctional silk vinyl sulfone-based hydrogel scaffolds for dynamic material-cell interactions
Biomaterials (2023)
Join Our Team
The Kaplan Lab is actively recruiting the next cohort of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to join our dynamic multidisciplinary team. We invite applications from candidates with expertise in diverse fields, such as materials science and engineering, polymer chemistry, stem cell biology, chemical engineering, biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and other related fields.
University Affiliations
