Weiss Lab

Our vision is to see this elastic protein in every hospital trauma unit and in every environment where there is a need to save a life by means of speeding up wound healing.

In the not-too-distant future, these biomaterials could sit in cabinets in hospitals around the world, as a life-saving toolkit for medical teams to reach for whenever they need to treat a severe burn, or replace a blood vessel.

Our research focuses on the use of human tropoelastin in tissue assembly and wound repair. We are very interested in the blend of biochemistry and cell biology, as well as the tissue engineering and regenerative medicine opportunities provided by this amazing elastic protein.

Elastin is a critical component of tissues in the body which require the ability to stretch and recoil, such as the skin, arteries, lungs and bladder. Its potential to repair and regenerate damaged skin – for instance in the case of burns or car accident victims or surgery patients – is thrilling, representing a massive advance on current approaches like skin grafts and spray-on skin.

Our research has exciting and wide-ranging impacts. As well as burns, wound repair and scar remodelling, synthetic skin has some enticing cosmetic benefits. An injectable version that could be used to help repair small scars, stretch marks and acne scars.

Also in the works at Weiss’s lab are tubes that behave like blood vessels, a ‘glue’ that can help repair damage to elastic tissues like the bladder or lungs, as well as an elastic bone filler to treat fractures.

• Behnaz Aghaei Ghareh Bolagh
• ​Sandra Araújo Custódio​​
• ​Deniz Emul
• Jeff Gregory
• Matti Hiob 
• Kekini Vahini Kuppan 
• Pearl Lee
• Dr Suzanne Mithieux
• Jazmin Ozsvar
• Cristiana Silva
• Richard Wang​
• Giselle Yeo