Primary Research Area:

Biomedical Engineering including Biomechanics, Functional Tissue Engineering, Tissue Mechanics

Research Interests:

Functional tissue engineering, bioreactor design, self-organizing living systems, biomechantronics, biomedical systems design, rapid manufacturing.

Education:

PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Bioengineering Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, (1988 – 1996)
MS in Kinesiology (Human Motor Control), Department of Physical Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, (1988 – 1992)
MS in Biological Engineering, Bioengineering Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, (1988 – 1992)
BSE (M.E.), in Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, (1982 – 1987)

About Dr. Robert Dennis:

My current and future research in tissue engineering will focus on the following topics:
- Automated cell culture systems (for applying controlled interventions and monitoring the resulting function)
- Control of expression of adult muscle phenotype (adult myosin isoforms: fast twitch & slow twitch)
- Compliant tendons (for mechanical impedance matching and the reduction of stress concentrations)
- Motor unit level control of engineered skeletal muscle constructs (a collaboration with CNCT in EECS)
- Nerve-muscle interface (to provide nerve-derived trophic factors and to aid in expression of adult phenotype)
- Angiogenesis and perfusion (to allow large tissue cross sections)

Recent Publications:

1. Borschel G.H., Dennis, R.G., Kuzon, W.M., Contractile skeletal muscle tissue-engineered on an acellular scaffold. (Manuscript submitted to Plast Reconstr Surg).
2. Borschel G.H., Kia, K.F., Kuzon, W.M., Dennis, R.G., Mechanical properties of acellular peripheral nerve. J Surg Res 114:133-39 (2003) [ Related link ]
3. Cederna, Kuzon, Dennis, Borschel, ... Recovery of Muscle Contractile Function Following Nerve Gap Repair With Chemically Acellularized Peripheral Nerve Grafts" Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery. May 2003 (Volume 19, Number 4).
4. Dennis, R.G., Dow, D.E., Faulkner, J.A.; "An Implantable Device for Stimulation of Denervated Muscles in Rats", Medical Engineering & Physics, 25(3), 2003, pp. 239-253. [ Related link ]
5. Murphy, W.L., Dennis, R.G., Kileny, J., Mooney, D.J., Salt fusion: a method to improve pore interconnectivity within tissue engineering scaffolds. Tissue Engineering. 8(1) 43-52, 2002. [ Related link ]
6. Kosnik P. Jr., Dennis R.G., Faulkner J.A. Functional Development of engineered skeletal muscle from adult and neonatal rats. Tissue Engineering 7(5) 573-584, 2001. [ Related link ]
7. Haase, S., Cederna, P., Dennis, R.G., Kuzon, W. Peripheral Nerve Reconstruction Using Acellular Nerve Grafts. Surgical Forum. 51: 607-609, 2000. [ Related link ]
8. Dennis, R.G., Paul E. Kosnik, II, Mark E. Gilbert, and John A. Faulkner. Excitability and contractility of skeletal muscle engineered from primary cultures and cell lines. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2001 280: C288-C295. [ Related link ]
9. Dennis R.G., Kosnik P. Excitability and isometric contractile properties of mammalian skeletal muscle constructs engineered in vitro. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. Anim. 36(5): 327-335, 2000. [ Related link ]
10. Putnam A.J., Cunningham, J.J., Dennis R.G., Linderman J.J., Mooney D.J., Microtubule assembly is regulated by externally-applied strain in cultured smooth muscle cells. J. Cell Sci., 111: 3379-3387, 1998. [ Related link ]
11. Dennis R.G. Bipolar implantable stimulator for long-term denervated muscle experiments. Med & Biol Eng & Comput Med & Biol Eng & Comput, March, 36: 225-28, 1998. [ Related link ]
12. Macpherson P.C.D., Dennis R.G. and Faulkner J.A. Sarcomere dynamics and contraction-induced injury to maximally activated single muscle fibers from soleus muscles of the rat. J Physiol 500.2: 523-33, 1997. [ Related link ]
13. Miller S.W. and Dennis R.G. A parametric model of muscle moment arm as a function of joint angle: Application to the dorsiflexor muscle group in mice. J Biomechanics 29(12): 1621-24, 1996. [ Related link ]
14. Borer K.T. and Dennis R.G. Activity disc and cage for continuous measurement of running activity and core temperature in hamsters. Physiology and Behavior 50:2-6, 1991.

Date of Last Modification: 8/30/2005

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