Overview
Background
Dr Abbas Shafiee is a tissue engineering & regenerative medicine scientist interested in translational cell-based and tissue engineering strategies to treat human diseases.
Dr Shafiee completed his PhD in Professor Kiarash Khosrotehrani’s laboratory on stem cell biology. His research career during his PhD had key contributions to delineating endothelial niche and vascular stem cells in the human placental tissues, including the seminal discovery of an entirely new stem cell population, coined as ‘Meso-Endothelial Bipotent Progenitor’ and the identification of key driver signatures for endothelial and bipotential progenitor function (Stem Cell Reports 2018; The FASEB Journal 2017; Stem Cells 2016; Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2015).
In 2016, he joined Distinguished Professor Dietmar Hutmacher’s team and conducted multiple projects on cancer and bone tissue engineering. Dr Shafiee has developed innovative tissue engineered models intersecting concepts from stem cell biology, cancer, and tissue engineering to study species-specific cancer bone metastasis at an unprecedented level of detail. The results of his research have been published in: International Journal of Cancer 2018; Cancers 2018; Biomaterials 2018; Bone Research 2019; Biomaterials 2019; Applied Materials Today 2020; Biomaterials 2020; and Advanced Therapeutics 2020. Utilizing the tissue engineering concept, he was able to better understand the mechanisms of human cancer bone metastasis. Additionally, he was successful in obtaining project grants, including a project grants from Cooperative Research Centers (CRC), and developed a biomimetically designed scaffolds and investigated the interactions of multipotent mesenchymal stem/stromal cell and skin progenitors with 3D printed scaffolds. The application of 3D printed constructs in acute wound models decreased wound contracture and led to a significantly improved skin regeneration.
Dr Shafiee joined Metro North Health (MNH, Queensland Health) in 2020 and started a research program to develop, implement, and evaluate the applications of 3D printing, scanning, cell therapies, and biofabrication technologies in skin wound settings, and dermatology research. Using the 3D printing and organoid technologies he could develop new approaches to enhances physiological wound closure with reduced scar tissue formation (Biomaterials 2021, Small 2021, Advanced Healthcare Materials 2021, Advanced Healthcare Materials 2022) and advance the deramtology research (Advanced healthcare materials 2022, and Small 2024). Dr Shafiee is part of a national program, aiming to develop biofabrication technology to treat skin wounds (funded by MRFF, NHMRC). His groundbreaking organoid research resulted in establishing an international Consortium of Organoid Research in Dermatology, leveraging organoid technology to advance the understanding and treatment of genetic skin diseases. Dr Shafiee has supervised over 10 Masters and PhD students. Honours, Masters and PhD projects are available, please feel free to contact him.
Availability
- Dr Abbas Shafiee is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Queensland University of Technology
Research interests
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Hydrogels, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
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Stem Cell Bioengineering
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Wound care
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Vascular development and homeostasis
Research impacts
My research program has been devoted to understanding human tissue development to develop advanced technologies for tissue regeneration.
- I discovered and developed a novel isolation strategy for a unique population, called "Meso-Endothelial Bipotent Progenitor," and published the first paper of its kind detailing the molecular signature of human placental vascular stem cells (lead author: Stem Cell Reports 2018, PMID: 29478891).
- Cancer biology studies often rely on xenografted models where the patient derived cancer cells do not interact with the microenvironment as they would in the patient. My innovative tissue engineered models developed via convergence of stem cell biology, and tissue engineering concepts provided an important platform to study fundamental aspects of bone development and cell-cell interactions in cancer by providing an environment with human hematopoietic and human bone cells. The results of my research have been published in several outstanding journals (Lead author: Int J Cancer 2018, PMID: 29659011. Senior Author: Bone 2022, PMID: 34023543; and Acta Biomater 2020, PMID: 33039595). Utilising the tissue engineering concept, I was able to better understand the molecular mechanism of cancer bone metastasis (Biomaterials 2020, PMID: 32109589 and Bone Res 2019, PMID: 31646018, Senior Author).
- In my current role, I applied this same concept in skin wound healing using cell therapies, and biofabrication technologies, of direct relevance to the current project. By combining 3D-printed biomimetic constructs and precursor cell delivery, I enhanced physiological wound closure with reduced scar tissue formation (Biomaterials 2021, PMID: 33307369, Lead/Senior author) attracting much interest from the research community. Additionally, I was successful in obtaining a research grant from the MRFF for skin bioprinting through combinations of stem/progenitors and extracellular matrix derivatives. Using human pluripotent stem cells and an organoid culture system I generated skin organoids, providing a foundation for future studies of human skin development, and reconstructive surgeries (Australian Provisional Patent).
Together, my research program has made significant contributions to the field of tissue development and regeneration, as evidenced by my publications in high-impact journals (>74 publications and > 100 conference abstracts, > 40 talks, >10 Invited talks) and citation record (Google Scholar: > 2700 citations, h-index > 31), and invitation to contribute papers or participate as guest editor (e.g., Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol), associate editor (in Interdisciplinary Medicine (Wiley), and Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine (Springer Nature)), and successful grant applications from top-tier funding agencies.
Works
Search Professor Abbas Shafiee’s works on UQ eSpace
2011
Journal Article
Electrospun nanofiber-based regeneration of cartilage enhanced by mesenchymal stem cells
Shafiee, Abbas, Soleimani, Masoud, Chamheidari, Gholamreza Abedi, Seyedjafari, Ehsan, Dodel, Masumeh, Atashi, Amir and Gheisari, Yousof (2011). Electrospun nanofiber-based regeneration of cartilage enhanced by mesenchymal stem cells. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. Part A, 99A (3), 467-478. doi: 10.1002/jbm.a.33206
2011
Journal Article
New approach to bone tissue engineering: simultaneous application of hydroxyapatite and bioactive glass coated on a poly(L-lactic acid) scaffold
Dinaryand, Peyman, Seyedjafari, Ehsan, Shafiee, Abbas, Jandaghi, Ali Babaei, Doostmohammadi, Ali, Fathi, Mohammad Hossein, Farhadian, Shirin and Soleimani, Masoud (2011). New approach to bone tissue engineering: simultaneous application of hydroxyapatite and bioactive glass coated on a poly(L-lactic acid) scaffold. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 3 (11), 4518-4524. doi: 10.1021/am201212u
2011
Journal Article
Dormant phase and multinuclear cells: two key phenomena in early culture of murine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells
Ahmadbeigi, Naser, Soleimani, Masoud, Gheisari, Yousof, Vasei, Mohammad, Amanpour, Saeid, Bagherizadeh, Iman, Shariati, Seyed Ali Mohammad, Azadmanesh, Kayhan, Amini, Sepideh, Shafiee, Abbas, Arabkari, Vahid and Nardi, Nance Beyer (2011). Dormant phase and multinuclear cells: two key phenomena in early culture of murine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Stem Cells and Development, 20 (8), 1337-1347. doi: 10.1089/scd.2010.0266
2011
Journal Article
A comparison between osteogenic differentiation of human unrestricted somatic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow and adipose tissue
Shafiee, Abbas, Seyedjafari, Ehsan, Soleimani, Masoud, Ahmadbeigi, Naser, Dinarvand, Peyman and Ghaemi, Nasser (2011). A comparison between osteogenic differentiation of human unrestricted somatic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow and adipose tissue. Biotechnology Letters, 33 (6), 1257-1264. doi: 10.1007/s10529-011-0541-8
2011
Journal Article
Early spontaneous immortalization and loss of plasticity of rabbit bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells
Ahmadbeigi, N., Shafiee, A., Seyedjafari, E., Gheisari, Y., Vassei, M., Amanpour, S., Amini, S., Bagherizadeh, I. and Soleimani, M. (2011). Early spontaneous immortalization and loss of plasticity of rabbit bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Cell Proliferation, 44 (1), 67-74. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2184.2010.00731.x
2011
Journal Article
Poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofibrous ring surrounding a polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel for the development of a biocompatible two-part artificial cornea
Bakhshandeh, Haleh, Soleimani, Masoud, Hosseini, Saied Shah, Hashemi, Hassan, Shabani, Iman, Shafiee, Abbas, Nejad, Amir Houshang Behesht, Erfan, Mohammad, Dinarvand, Rassoul and Atyabi, Fatemeh (2011). Poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofibrous ring surrounding a polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel for the development of a biocompatible two-part artificial cornea. International journal of nanomedicine, 6, 1509-1515. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S19011
2011
Journal Article
A collagen-poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofiber scaffold for cartilage repair
Abedi, Gholamreza, Sotoudeh, Amir, Soleymani, Masoud, Shafiee, Abbas, Mortazavi, Pejhman and Aflatoonian, Mohammad Reza (2011). A collagen-poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofiber scaffold for cartilage repair. Journal of Biomaterials Science-Polymer Edition, 22 (18), 2445-2455. doi: 10.1163/092050610x540503
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Abbas Shafiee is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Simultaneous absorption and evaporation PBPK models for topical drugs and inactive agents
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Yousuf Mohammed
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Doctor Philosophy
Targeting epigenetic regulation to overcome immunotherapy resistance in cutaneous melanoma
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nikolas Haass, Professor Kiarash Khosrotehrani, Associate Professor Jason Lee
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Doctor Philosophy
Computational modelling of confidence judgements across perceptual tasks and modalities
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nidhi Bansal, Associate Professor Rahul Sharma, Dr Negareh Ghasemi, Dr Carolyn Jacobs
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Abbas Shafiee directly for media enquiries about:
- 3D Printing
- Biomaterials
- Dermatology
- Regenerative Medicine
- Skin
- Stem cell
- Wound Healing
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