Assistant Professor email
WTI 630A
(205) 934-0198
Research and Teaching Interests: Tumor microenvironment, 3D tissue engineering, biomechanical behaviors of cancer cells
Office Hours: By appointment
Education:
- B.S., The University of Alabama, Chemical and Biological Engineering
- M.S., The University of Alabama, Chemical Engineering
- Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, Biomedical Engineering
- Post-Doc, Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Internal Medicine
Dr. Sewell-Loftin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and a member of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research interests include developing novel models to study how biomechanical forces impact cancer growth, with the ultimate objective to develop anti-tumor treatment strategies. She also has expertise in tissue engineering, specifically related to studying interaction of biomaterials, mechanics, and cell behaviors. Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Sewell-Loftin is excited for the opportunity to return home to be a part of the UAB community.
-
Select Publications
- Brenot AB, Sewell-Loftin MK, Lesage JL, Cornish DA, and Longmore GD. “Endothelial DDR2 is required for tumor angiogenesis and metastatis in breast cancer.” In preparation – Angiogenesis, Jan. 2020.
- Qu X, Violette K, Sewell-Loftin MK, Soslow J, St. Jean L, Hinton RB, Zhou B, Merryman WD, and Baldwin HS, “Loss of Flow Responsive Tie1 Results in Impaired Aortic Valve Remodeling.”, Developmental Biology, Vol 455(1):73-84, 2019.
- Sewell-Loftin MK, Bayer SVH, Crist EL, Hughes BT, Joison SM, Longmore GD, and George SC. “Cancer-associated fibroblasts support vascular growth through mechanical force.” Scientific Reports, 7 (1): 12574. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-13006-x
- Angel PM, Narmoneva DA, Sewell-Loftin MK, Munjal C, Dupuis L, Landis BJ, Jegga A, Kern CB, Merryman WD, Baldwin HS, Bressan GM, and Hinton RB. “Proteomic alterations associated with biomechanical dysfunction are early processes in the Emilin1 deficient mouse model of aortic valve disease.” Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 1-15, 2017.
- Sewell-Loftin MK*, Shiruie VS*, Lam S, Todd TD, Hwang PY, and George SC. “Building Better Tumor Models: Organoid Systems to Investigate Angiogenesis.” Tumor Organoids. Eds. Shay Shoker and Aleksander Skardal: Humana Press, Cham, Online-2017. 117-148.
- Chen J, Ryzhova LM, Sewell-Loftin MK, Brown CB, Huppert SS, Baldwin HS, and Merryman WD, “Notch1 mutation leads to vavular calcification through enhanced myofibroblast mechanotransduction”, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, Vol. 35(7): 1571605, 2015.
- Sewell-Loftin MK, DeLaughter DM, Peacock JR, Brown CB, Baldwin HS, Barnett JV, and Merryman WD, “Myocardial contraction and hyaluronic acid mechanotransduction in epithelial to-mesenchymal transformation of endocardial cells”, Biomaterials, Vol. 35(9): 2809-2815, 2014.
- Sewell-Loftin MK, Brown CB, Baldwin HS, and Merryman WD, “Novel technique for quantifying mouse heart valve leaflet stiffness with atomic force microscopy,” Journal of Heart Valve Disease, Vol. 21(4): 513-520, 2012
-
Academic Distinctions and Professional Societies
Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)