Shao-Yun Hsu
BME PhD Proposal Presentation

Date: 2026-05-21
Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm 
Location / Meeting Link: 102A Conference Room Pettit in the Pettit Microelectronics Building /https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/23010688847336?p=rRVOT0BNqV7tAGEbRb

Committee Members:
Dr. Andres Garcia Dr. Susan Thomas Dr. Ankur Singh Dr. Robers Sibley 


Title: Engineered PEG-4MAL Hydrogels to Enhance and Simplify Lymphedema Microsurgery 

Abstract:
Lymphedema is a chronic, progressive condition of impaired lymphatic transport that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and remains incurable, with most patients managed only by lifelong compression. Microsurgical reconstruction by vascularized lymph node transplant (VLNT) and lymphovenous anastomosis (LVA) offers the most promising therapeutic option for eligible patients, but each procedure is constrained by distinct limitations. VLNT achieves meaningful volume reduction in only about one-third of patients, largely owing to inadequate lymphatic reconnection between the transplanted node and the host vasculature, and harvesting a vascularized flap exposes patients to donor-site morbidity, including donor-site lymphedema and nerve injury. LVA avoids a donor node but requires multiple circumferential microsutures to seal a junction between dramatically size-mismatched lymphatics and veins, restricting access to fewer than 10 percent of eligible patients. This proposal leverages a PEG-4MAL hydrogel platform with tunable stiffness, modular incorporation of adhesive and protease-cleavable peptides, and bioorthogonal growth-factor conjugation to address these gaps in a clinically relevant rat secondary lymphedema model. Aim 1 will establish a lymphedema model and a longitudinal near-infrared functional analysis platform. Aim 2 will determine whether a lymphangiogenic hydrogel implanted at the time of VLNT enhances host-to-graft reconnection and accelerates volume and functional recovery. Aim 3 will reduce surgical complexity through two complementary strategies: a flap-free, anastomosis-free artificial lymph node generated by VEGF-A-driven pedicle-to-node angiogenesis, and an in situ-gelling hydrogel sealant that replaces circumferential sutures in LVA. Collectively, these aims aim to expand both the efficacy and accessibility of lymphedema microsurgery.