University of Virginia-Main Campus · Biomedical EngineeringThe Healing Matrix Lab
Donald Richieri Griffin · Charlottesville, Virginia
Research Focus
The lab focuses on developing new biomaterial scaffolds designed to enhance the healing process of diabetic wounds. By engineering a special type of hydrogel called Microporous Annealed Particle gel (MAP gel), the team aims to reduce inflammation, improve tissue integration, and support better blood vessel formation in wounds. With a combination of in vitro and in vivo experiments, they work to systematically improve these hydrogels for effective treatment alternatives for diabetic patients.
biomaterialshydrogelsdiabetic wound healingtissue engineeringangiogenesisinflammation reductionimmune modulationscaffold designmicrofluidicswound repair
Research Aims
5AIM 01Develop a novel hydrogel material for diabetic wound repair.
AIM 02Optimize pore geometry to enhance wound response.
AIM 03Investigate the effects of scaffold degradability on healing.
AIM 04Incorporate heparin micro-islands to promote angiogenesis.
AIM 05Utilize diabetic mouse models to evaluate healing efficacy.
Skills the Lab Values
hydrogel synthesismicrofluidic device operationin vitro cell cultureanimal wound healing modelshistological analysisimmunohistochemistryFACS analysisbiocompatibility testingdata analysis with Pythontissue engineering techniques
Output against the department
Publications53bottom 6% of dept.557th of 595
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations2.7kbottom 20% of dept.475th of 595
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.