Dr Vanessa Hearnden
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Senior Lecturer in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
Research Governance Lead


+44 114 215 7098
Full contact details
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
North Campus
Broad Lane
葫芦影业
S3 7HQ
- Profile
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Vanessa Hearnden joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of 葫芦影业 in 2015 as Lecturer in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering and became Senior Lecturer in 2020. Dr Hearnden began as a Biologist studying Biomedical Sciences at undergraduate and has since become experienced in a range of fields through her inter-disciplinary research in regenerative medicine and bioengineering.
Dr Hearnden鈥檚 research has always been driven by clinical need and guided by a network of clinical collaborators in the fields of Plastic Surgery, Oral Medicine and Surgery and Urology. Dr Hearnden is currently research lead for the Materials for Health group in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering having previously been Course Director for the MEng in Biomaterials Science and Engineering. Dr Hearnden is a committee member for the Tissue and Cell Engineering Society (TCES), Associate Editor for Frontiers in Medical Technology: Regenerative Medicine and collaborates worldwide.
- Research interests
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With expertise in human cell biology and tissue culture Dr Hearnden鈥檚 work focuses on developing regenerative medicine strategies to improve soft tissue wound healing.
Harnessing biology to stimulate soft tissue regeneration
Soft tissue wound healing is a complex process driven by a well-orchestrated combination of biochemical signals, cells and forces. When this process is disrupted through disease or other pathologies, this can severely affect an individual鈥檚 quality of life. Dr Hearnden鈥檚 research group has a particular interest in harnessing autologous patient materials, such as adipose tissue from liposuction, to stimulate wound healing and to treat disease.
The use of adipose-derived therapies in plastic surgery has grown in popularity in recent years and its safety and benefits for a range of applications has been demonstrated. However, our scientific understanding of adipose therapies is currently lacking. Dr Hearnden鈥檚 research group are working with human adipose tissue and its components to understand the role fat and the stem cells within it can play in soft tissue wound healing and hypertrophic scar regeneration.
Three dimensional tissue engineered models of human epithelia
Dr Hearnden鈥檚 research group has developed a range of three-dimensional tissue engineered models of epithelial tissues to answer specific research questions. For example, they have created and characterised models of the oral mucosa to study Medicines Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (MRONJ), models of skin to understand the role of the hypodermis in wound healing and models of tonsil to investigate Strep pyogenes infection.
Characterising tissue-material interactions to develop advanced biomaterials
Being able to predict and tailor the way cells and tissues interact with biomaterials is critical to the development of novel materials for use in human implants. Going beyond simple cytotoxicity assays is essential to inform the design of novel materials and to reduce our reliance on animal testing. To achieve this Dr Hearnden鈥檚 research group has expertise in a range of assays looking at angiogenesis, macrophage interactions and cell infiltration into biomaterials amongst others.
- Publications
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Journal articles
Chapters
Conference proceedings papers
Preprints
- Teaching activities
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I provide taught content and project supervision for students on the following degree courses:
- BEng and MEng Biomedical Engineering
- BEng and MEng Materials Science and Engineering
- MSc Bioengineering
I am the module lead for modules in the areas of Tissue Engineering and Biology whilst also delivering training in transferable skills such as scientific writing, statistics and ethical decision making. I am a personal tutor for Bioengineering students in all years.
- Professional activities and memberships
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Committee member for the
Associate Editor for Frontiers in Medical Technology: Regenerative Medicine
Committee member of the Senate University Research Ethics Committee