Marley Dewey

As we age, the important biomolecules our cells secrete age with us, and impact our ability to repair and maintain our tissues.  The Dewey Lab studies one of these important biomolecules: extracellular vesicles. Extracellular vesicles are nanoscale lipid bilayer delimited particles secreted by all cells and carry functional nucleic acid and protein cargo to signal for the body to repair wounds, combat cancer, and maintain homeostasis. As we age, our cells secrete extracellular vesicles containing senescent signals, or signals that slow cell growth and activity. The Dewey lab seeks to study how tissue-resident extracellular vesicles are influenced by age and how we can use various types of extracellular vesicles as potential anti-aging tools. By combining biomaterials and 3D-printing, the Dewey Lab will create 3D tissue mimics containing extracellular vesicles to both model age-related bone diseases as well as craft regenerative medicine solutions for these.