Koyal Garg, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Education
Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University
M.S. Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University
B.E. in Biomedical Instrumentation Engineering, Avinashilingam Deemed University,
Coimbatore, India
Research Interests
Garg’s research interests include cell and tissue engineering, extracellular matrix based biomaterials, stem cells, immune response, skeletal muscle and neuromuscular junctions. Aged or severely injured skeletal muscle is associated with reduced regenerative capacity and force production. Contributing factors include loss of functional contractile tissue and neuromuscular junctions, heightened inflammation, excessive collagen deposition and dysfunctional stem cells. The primary motive of Garg’s research is to develop biomaterial and stem cell based therapies for improving the regenerative and functional capacity of skeletal muscle following injury, disease or aging.
Labs and Facilities
Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering Laboratory: The focus of our lab is the development and evaluation of biomaterial and stem cell based therapies for the enhancement of skeletal muscle regeneration and function following injuries, disease and aging. Laminin is an essential component of the muscle extracellular matrix and is an excellent substrate for the growth and differentiation of satellite cells (muscle resident stem cells) and motor neurons. By utilizing laminin based biomaterials, we hope to engineer functional skeletal muscle in vitro, which when implanted allows for full recovery of skeletal muscle structure and function in vivo. Our lab is equipped for cell culture and evaluation of cell-biomaterial interactions. Learn more online at www.gargklab.com.
Publications and Media Placements
Peer Reviewed Journal Publications
Walters TJ, Garg K, Corona BT (2015), Activity Attenuates Skeletal Muscle Fiber Damage
after Ischemia- Reperfusion Injury, Muscle and Nerve, Muscle and Nerve, 52 (4), 640-648.
Garg K, Corona BT, Walters TJ (2015), Therapeutic strategies for preventing skeletal
muscle fibrosis after injury, Frontiers in Pharmacology, 6 (87).
Garg K, Ward CL, Corona BT (2015), Asynchronous Inflammation and Myogenic Cell Migration
Limit Muscle Tissue Regeneration Mediated by Acelluar Scaffolds, Inflammation and
Cell Signaling, 1 (6): 530.
Garg K, Ward CL, Hurtgen BJ, Wilken JM, Stinner DJ, Owens J, Wenke JC, Corona BT (2015),
Volumetric Muscle Loss: Persistent Functional Deficits Beyond Frank Loss of Tissue,
Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 33 (1): 40-46.
Aurora A, Garg K, Corona BT, Walters TJ (2014), Physical Rehabilitation Improves Skeletal
Muscle Function following Volumetric Muscle Loss Injury in Rats, BMC Sports Science,
Medicine and Rehabilitation, 6(1): 41.
Garg K, Corona BT, Walters TJ (2014), Effect of Losartan Treatment on Muscle Fibrosis
and Regeneration after Volumetric Muscle Loss Injury, Journal of Applied Physiology,
117 (10): 1120-31.
Garg K, Ward CL, Rathbone CR, Corona BT (2014), Transplantation of Minced Devitalized
Muscle Scaffolds is Insufficient for De Novo Muscle Fiber Regeneration after Volumetric
Muscle Loss Injury, Cell and Tissue Research, 358 (3): 857-873.
Corona BT, Garg K, Roe JL, Zhu H, Park KH, Ma J, Walters TJ (2014), The Effect of
Recombinant Human MG53 Protein on Tourniquet-Induced Ischemia Reperfusion Injury in
Rat Muscle, Muscle & Nerve, 49 (6): 919-921.
Corona BT, Garg K, Ward CL, McDaniel JS, Walters TJ, Rathbone CR (2013), Autologous
Minced Muscle Grafts: A Tissue Engineering Therapy for the Volumetric Loss of Skeletal
Muscle, American Journal of Physiology: Cell Physiology, 305 (7): C761-C775.
Garg K, Pullen NA, Oskeritzian CA, Ryan JJ, Bowlin GL (2013), Macrophage Functional
Polarization in Response to Varying Fiber Dimensions of Electrospun Scaffolds, Biomaterials,
34 (18): 4439-4451.
McClure MJ, Garg K, Simpson DJ, Ryan JJ, Sell SA, Bowlin GL, Ericksen J (2013), The
Influence of Platelet Rich Plasma on Myogenic Differentiation, Journal of Tissue Engineering
and Regenerative Medicine, doi: 10.1002/term.1755.
Madurantakam P, Rodriguez IA, Garg K, McCool JM, Moon PC, Bowlin GL (2012), Compression
of Multilayered Composite Electrospun Scaffolds: A Novel Strategy to Rapidly Enhance
Mechanical Properties and Three Dimensionality of Bone Scaffolds, Advances in Material
Science and Engineering, 561273.
Sell SA, Wolfe PS, Spence AJ, Rodriguez IA, McCool JM, Petrella RL, Garg K, Ericksen
JJ, Bowlin GL (2012), A Preliminary Study on The Potential of Manuka Honey and Platelet-Rich
Plasma in Wound Healing, International Journal of Biomaterials, 313781.
Garg K, Bowlin GL (2011), Electrospinning Jets and Nanofibrous Structures, Biomicrofluidics,
5(1): 013403. Garg K, Ryan JJ, Bowlin GL (2011), Modulation of Mast Cell Adhesion,
Proliferation and Cytokine Secretion on Electrospun Bioresorbable Vascular Grafts,
Journal of Biomedical Materials Research: Part A. 97(4):405-13.
Sell SA, Wolfe PS, Garg K, McCool JM, Rodriguez IA, Bowlin GL (2010), The Use of Natural
Polymers in Tissue Engineering: A Focus on Electrospun Extracellular Matrix Analogues,
Polymers, 2 (4): 522-553.
Garg K, Bowlin GL (2010), Creation of Bioresorbable Vascular Prosthetics Using Electrospinning,
ACS Polymer Preprints, 51(2): 90.
Garg K, Sell SA, Madurantakam P, Bowlin GL (2009), Angiogenic Potential of Human Macrophages
on Electrospun Bioresorbable Vascular Grafts, Biomedical Materials, 4(3): 031001.
Wolfe PS, Madurantakam P, Garg K, Sell SA, Beckman MJ, Bowlin GL (2009), Evaluation
of Thrombogenic Potential of Electrospun Bioresorbable Vascular Graft Materials: Acute
Monocyte Tissue Factor Expression, Journal of Biomedical Materials Research: Part
A., 92(4):1321-8.
Sell SA, McClure MJ, Garg K, Wolfe PS, Bowlin GL (2009), Electrospinning of Collagen
/ Biopolymers for Regenerative Medicine and Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering, Advanced
Drug Delivery Reviews, 61(12):1007-19.
Sell SA, Francis MP, Garg K, McClure MJ, Simpson DG, Bowlin GL (2008), Cross-Linking
Methods of Electrospun Fibrinogen Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications, Biomedical
Materials, 3 (4):045001.
Book Chapter Contributions
McClure MJ, Garg K, RodrigueIA, McCool JM, Bowlin GL (2011), ECM Analogues Obtained
by Electrospun Nanofibers, In Electrospinning for Advanced Biomedical Applications
and Therapies, iSmithers Rapra Publishing.
Garg K, Sell SA and Bowlin GL (2009), Electrospinning and its Influence on the Structure
of Polymeric Nanofibers, In Handbook of Textile Fibre Structure. Woodhead Publishing
in Textiles: Number 88
Conference Presentations
Eichhorn, S.; Hearle, J.W.S.; Jaffe, M. and T. Kikutani, Eds. Woodhead Publishing
Limited, Cambridge, UK, 958-981. Conference Presentations
Garg K, Dvoretskiy S, Mahmassani Z, Burkin D, Boppart M (2015), Laminin-111Supplementation
Suppresses Inflammation and Fibrosis in Response to Mechanical Overload in Aged Skeletal
Muscle, Poster Presented at the 4th Annual Symposium on Regenerative Rehabilitation,
Rochester, MN.
Garg K, Ward CL, Hurtgen BJ, Wilken JM, Stinner DJ, Owens J, Wenke JC, Corona BT (2014),
Volumetric Muscle Loss: Persistent Functional Deficits Beyond Frank Loss of Tissue,
Poster Presentation, Orthopaedic Research Society 60th Annual Meeting, New Orleans,
LA.
Garg K, Pullen NA, Ryan JJ, Bowlin GL (2012), Macrophage Polarization in Response
to Varying Fiber Dimensions of Electrospun Bioresorbable Vascular Grafts, Oral Presentation,
9th World Biomaterials Congress (WBC), Chengdu, China.
Garg K, Pullen NA, Ryan JJ, Bowlin GL (2012), The impact of varying properties of
electrospun scaffolds on the phenotype of bone marrow derived murine macrophages,
Poster presented at 16th Annual Hilton Head Workshop, Hilton Head Island, SC.
Garg K, Bowlin GL (2010), Nonwoven Bioresorbable Vascular Grafts, 4th International
Conference on Technical Textiles and Nonwovens, New Delhi, India.
Garg K, Ryan JJ, Bowlin GL (2010), Modulation of Mast Cell Adhesion, Proliferation
and Cytokine Secretion on Electrospun Bioresorbable Vascular Grafts, Poster presented
at International Society for Applied Cardiovascular Biology’s (ISACB) 12th Biennial
Meeting, Boston, MA.
Garg K, Francis MP, Sell SA, Moghaddam YM, Madurantakam P, Bowlin GL (2008), Angiogenic
Potential of Human Macrophages on Electrospun Scaffolds, Poster presented at 12th
Annual Hilton Head Workshop, SC.
Garg K, Sell SA, Smith DC, Madurantakam P, Bowlin GL (2008), Evaluation of Angiogenic
Activity in Human Macrophages on Electrospun Vascular Grafts, Poster presented at
The Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS), San
Diego, CA.
Community Work and Service
Koyal Garg, Ph.D., became an assistant professor in biomedical engineering at Parks College in February 2016. The primary motive of her research is to develop novel regenerative therapies for injury, aging or disease associated alterations in biological functions of tissues/organs. During her doctoral tenure, her research focused on testing the relationship between the structural properties of vascular grafts and a favorable macrophage phenotype response. Garg’s interest in regenerative medicine was further reinforced during her post-doctoral tenure at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, where she worked on the pre-clinical development and testing of biomaterial and pharmaceutical interventions for improving skeletal muscle regeneration and force production after traumatic volumetric muscle loss injuries. She continued her research work as a post-doctoral scholar at the Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology in University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she developed and tested electrical stimulation, laminin and stem cell based regenerative therapies for the protection of skeletal muscle mass and function from injury and aging.