Good day, Dr. Govindaraj Perumal. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

Nice to interact with you. Yes, we can. Ready to start?

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

Thanks for asking this question. Currently I'm working as a postdoctoral research associate UConn Health. I'm working on aged bone regeneration and this interest is came when doing my PhD at IIT Madras. I started working on biomaterials and bone tissue engineering with the advancement to learn more deeper knowledge about bone tissue engineering area so I have started focusing on.

Deeper knowledge about bone tissue engineering here. I'm doing a lot of annual studies as well as in vitro cell culture studies for aged bone regeneration related applications. So more focused on product based research, translational research I'm working on. So these are all about my research journey. It has started from IIT Madras, then the second post doc I did from.

CAC Byamaguni, Spain and another postdoc from US.

So I did from UAC Chicago currently I'm doing at UConn health. So these are the the my research journey from PhD to post doc. I'm more focused towards biomaterials and product based translational research for bone tissue engineering and drug delivery and medical devices.

I hope these answers will be helpful for you to make further movement.

Thank you for sharing that, Professor. I'll proceed by asking specific questions to verify your expertise and teaching capabilities related to this role. Let’s start with your expertise. Could you explain the role and advantages of microfluidics in the development of organ-on-chip systems?

Yeah, Like, uh, microfluidics, uh, these are micro scale devices. Uh, this micro microfluidic devices, uh, we can include the different organs, like the vital organs, those are needed to monitor in case of any drug development or drug discovery, like the vital organs like liver, kidney function, cardiovascular and even the skin. We can make an Organon chip. We can. Culture the specific cells.

Into that microfluidic chip providing uh, the optimal condition media and then, uh, we can give the drugs in various dosages and various combinations. Then we can test the safety and efficacy of the drugs in the Organon chip or any kind of biomaterial or biomedical devices so to improve their further optimization as well as characterization, and then we can monitor their safety efficacy for.

For their development and we can move further with that for in vivo animal studies as well as the clinical translation. So that's how the microfluidic devices will helpful to make an Organon chip that will helpful for betterment of the avoiding the large animal models as well as we can save that time with the microfluidic devices and their advancements.

Hope this will be helpful.

Thank you for elaborating, Professor. That makes sense. Now, as a follow-up, could you provide an example of how you have utilized microfluidic technology in any of your research projects, particularly in translational applications?

Yes, Sir. Uh, I'm not exclusively used a microfluidic devices, uh, in my post doc at UAC Chicago, I use the microfluidic devices. There I cultured the MG 63 osteosarcoma cells and then we can able to monitor with the various the particles, the wear debris we can call it as in order to simulate the, the weird environment. Around the the hip implant when it.

Uh, the weird will happen that weird particles will be generated. We are simulated, uh, those kind of environment with microfluidic, uh, uh, platform that research there, the microfluidic device which has the specific cells like I mentioned MG 63 and then the weird particles like titanium and titanium ions particles and then Gopal chromium particles. So we are. Injected with within the media so that will makes.

Along with the culturing of the cells so how it changes the behavior of the cell with the different time point. The cell growing condition will be captured by automated camera attached within the system and from that we can be able to analyze how this rear particles in the simulated condition will affect the the toxicity as well as is there any cell proliferation much.

So that's all we can able to integrate with this microfluidic devices with the cell culture system and we can be able to perform the betterment of the the cells as well as the materials for toxicity analysis and then we can able to improve their safety profile. And then whether it is really efficacy in order to making with the animal model, we can be able to do with this microfluidic devices. So that's how I have got experience in this microfluidic platform.

Better with this microfluidic devices.

Oh, but this is helpful.

That’s a comprehensive explanation, thank you for sharing. It’s clear that you’ve applied microfluidics in a very specialized context, and your work demonstrates translational potential. Let’s move to another area of your expertise. Could you explain the significance of 3D scaffold fabrication in bone tissue engineering and outline one of the methods you have employed for scaffold creation?

Yes, Sir, it's really interesting question. Yeah, I have used 3D bioprinting for developing this folds during my postdocal studies at CAC Biomagnet Spain. I have used alginate and then gelatin the scaffolds that is I made into the 3D scaffolds and then I have cross-linked with.

Calcium calcium solution. So that makes the.

Reinforce the scaffolds that scaffolds I have tested for their cellular viability as well as proliferation and I have used those scaffolds for to test the any toxicity profile related with that. And then more advantages I went to further adding a gold nanoparticle into these polymers and I made into a nanocomposite of 3D bioprinted.

By using 3D bio printer. It's called a 3D discovery.

Uh, a bioprinted, uh, a bioprinting, uh, uh, setup. So with that, I have created a 3D printed scaffold. With that, I have tested the nanocomposite incorporated gold nanoparticle scaffolds, how it will influence the, the MDMB 237 cells. Those are breast cancer cells. And then along with I have tested MG 63 osteosarcoma cells. In order to improve the.

The bone related UH regeneration as well as this MDA MB 231 cells because breast cancer cells. So this will leads to the metastasis will happen in the bone and how it is correlated with the bone as well as the breast cancer in the the 3D environment and how it will be helpful for making the scaffold of mimicking the 3D environment with whether we can able to test. The metastasis with this scaffolds by giving.

Yeah, various drugs as well as how which will improve the, the, the breast cancer, cancer proliferation of these cells will be inhibited with various drug combinations. So those real-time monitoring functions can be able to do with this. So that one I update and currently I'm working on PLGA based 3D printed scaffolds. So that scaffold we are incorporating the senolytic drugs. These senolytic drugs function as in aging, the senescence will happen. So because of the senescence the cells won't proliferate better and the bone fracture healing will be reduced. In this environment we have incorporating this APLJ based scaffolds with senolytics. When we are treating with this kind of scaffolds, this analytic drugs will clear off the senescent cells in the surrounding environment where we are. Want to improve the fracture healing so this.

Will helps the the bone fracture healing much better and faster like the normal adult out there Physiology system will helpful for healing. So that's how I am working on the 3D printed scaffolds and their advancements with.

In vitro as well as in vivo characterizations using mice model, then we can translate into the product development. So that's how I'm working on the 3D printer scaffolds part bone tissue engineering applications.

Thank you, Professor. That’s an impressive range of work you’ve undertaken with 3D bioprinting and scaffold innovation. Your integration of nanocomposites, targeting senescence, and translational focus highlights a strong grasp of practical and experimental needs in bone tissue engineering. I’d now like to shift focus towards your teaching experience. Could you describe your approach to developing and delivering laboratory-based courses for bioengineering students?

Yes. So I can able to handle the biotechnology and bioengineering relevant courses. One of the important course for the students with this background is biomaterials. Here the biomaterials place a vital role in the present day as well as any kind of the support or the healing as needed for any kind of the augmentation is needed for our body or functional tissues regeneration.

So in this course, I can cover up the basic introduction of the biomaterials and what is biomaterials and what all the classifications of biomaterials and the important terms like biocompatibility, biofunctionality, biodegradability. So these are the the ideal requirements needed for any kind of biomaterial development. And further I will move on to the individual classification like biomaterials there are different classifications like metal.

Is the polymer based and composite based. So these classifications I will go deeper about what are biometals alloys under various composition and how what are all the advantages, disadvantages, how it will improve the the mechanical improvement in case of heart tissue, heart tissue engineering as well as in the case of polymer based materials, we can use biodegradable, non biodegradable polymers.

Available polymers plays a vital role in biomaterials development as well as drug delivery applications. I will go deeper about. So these materials and then the composites, the combination of the polymer as well as ceramics we can use in case of the bone tissue engineering, heart tissue engineering. So I will go deeper about these functions as well as the characteristic aspects and then I can teach about.

The regulatory requirements, what all needed for these materials and then what all the the biocompatibility aspects of these materials, how it will be helpful for the students and then I can able to teach students how we can set up the biomaterial from bench to bedside, what all the things needed for making the successful biomaterials development.

And what are all the process involved in each and every step we can able to demonstrate as a laboratory course?

So those scores are.

So those characterizations definitely helpful for them to advance their knowledge as well as it will make them to more curious as well as they it can improve their the knowledge about the specific domain of biomaterials and definitely it will help for them So that kind of the curriculum as well as the teaching methodology by asking the open-ended questions from the students that make them curious to learn about.

It's then I can be able to interact with them and then what all their nodes and their don't nodes. Based on that, I can be able to provide my constructive as well as elaborative answers for the the specific topics needed for this course. That's how I can handle the students overall having the biomaterials as well as any kind of device related courses.

Yeah.

Thank

Understood, thank you for sharing, Professor. It seems you have a well-structured and engaging approach to teaching biomaterials and related courses. Your focus on both theoretical foundations and practical applications will bring valuable insights to students. To build on this, can you describe how you approach guiding students in their individual research projects, particularly in the areas of biomaterials or regenerative medicine?

Yes. So especially the students from the diverse background can involve in biomaterials research. Basically biomaterial is some multidisciplinary research area. So here my expertise based on the polymers and then the biodegradable materials like magnesium based scaffolds, development and drug delivery applications. So these areas are highly emerging and those areas.

I can.

Guide the students with their interests as well as with their involvement. I can able to guide them in a better way So what all the projects they are interested or I can tell them to write mini proposal about what is their idea. From that idea I can able to make them to guide so whether this is possible or not and then we can get the feasibility studies of the.

Project and viability of the project. So with that I can start work on the project. In case they are not able to get the specific research ideas, I can provide those research ideas or novel ideas to develop a biomaterial scaffolds for the specific application and then I can able to motivate them and then I can able to. Teach I can give an opportunity to learn how and what all the techniques will be helpful.

And what all the the regulatory guidelines are needed for the the biomaterials in the industrial setup and how it will be involved in various applications along with the tissue engineering and stem cell technologies in advanced manner. So that's how I can able to guide them and to make them more interested as well as make a successful career in the biomaterials domain as well as they can get a wider knowledge.

And they can, they can be able to implement these research ideas when they are going for a teaching or research push or academic position. So that's how I can help them to get a better knowledge in the domain of biomaterials or any kind of research whatever I mentioned earlier.

Thank you, Professor. You've given a clear picture of how you engage with students, from encouraging independent thinking through proposal writing to providing guidance on research feasibility and regulatory insights. Your emphasis on mentorship and fostering curiosity is evident. Now, let me shift to a final area of verification. Could you share how your experience in consultancy or industry projects has influenced your approach to both research and teaching?

Yes. So especially so whatever the research we are doing from our lab that could be definitely it is a translational. So in order to make a translational the companies are industry, they will approach us based on our research background when they are approaching for consultancy project. So I can discuss with them and what all their requirements and what is their the timeline.

So based on that we can able to structure the project and what all the materials needed and the time requirement and what are all the expectations. So with that everything will be discussed and the consultancy will be arranged that will be getting the memorandum of understanding between the the consultancy company as well as the institution. And make up proper the documentation. Then we can start a project with their, the limitations, whatever they were given and then what all the outcomes they are looking for. And we can make that transparency between the consultancy company as well as the the researcher overall going to involve. And then we can be able to protect the whatever the IPR intellectual property rights and how it is going to be shared. Everything will be disclosed as well as. The research will be carried out with the given timeline and we can be able to.

Generate the funding from the company that will support the the research ecosystem within the institute and consultancy company. So that's how we can develop the translational products. And then the the key insights they are looking from the industry, academia, the interaction will be enabled and we can able to develop a better translational products the industry currently they are looking for and.

What they are not able to do from that side. So that's how I can reach with this consistency projects then we can be able to improve and advance their product development for the better launch of their project.

Their their limitation.

Product in the market.

Understood, Professor. Your experience in managing consultancy projects highlights your ability to bridge academia and industry effectively, ensuring both scientific rigor and translational applicability. This perspective would undoubtedly enhance your teaching by offering students firsthand insights into real-world product development challenges and processes. I’ve now verified the key areas of your technical expertise and teaching approach. Thank you for the detailed responses.

Thank you. You are welcome. You are more interactive and more friendly.

Professor, let us begin by discussing your teaching environment. Which specific foundational course or concept in biotechnology or bioengineering do you find most rewarding to teach, and why?

Yeah, like they mentioned, uh, so my expertise, uh, in the areas of biomaterials and medical devices and drug delivery. So these are the, the three courses or, uh, the blend of, uh, multidisciplinary approaches. So the course of biomaterials and tissue engineering I can able to offer the students of biotechnology. So then these are helpful for them to learn and understand the, the various concepts.

Well enough biomaterials fabrication characterization and their preclinical studies and then the regulatory requirements needed for so these materials I can able to teach them and to get to know their advanced knowledge about these subjects that can help and then they can learn and motivated and they can implement whatever the theory they are allowed and they can. Be able to learn with the research.

In the future, carry aspects.

Understood, Professor. It sounds like you find great fulfillment in guiding students through the interdisciplinary aspects of biomaterials, especially in connecting theory to practical research and broader applications like regulatory requirements. Let’s proceed further.

Dr. Perumal, I see you have a rich background in both research and technology, particularly your Ph.D. in Medical Devices and Technology from IIT Madras and extensive work in nanotechnology and biosensors. Let's focus on your project, "Nano Textile Integrated Wearable Biosensors for Monitoring of Vital Signs." Could you elaborate on how you approached integrating nanotechnology into wearable textiles? Was there a specific challenge that stood out during this project?

Yes Sir. So this project when I was working as assistant professor in the Alpha College of Engineering, we got a funding op funding from Tamil Nadu Science and Technology DNA, CST in short. So with this project we are developed the silver oxide nanoparticles. So these nanoparticles have been incorporated with the textile. So this silver nanoparticles will have antibacterial and then.

So this has other applications. It doesn't allow any microbial growth in the textile environment. And also we have integrated various sensors to monitor the vital signs like heart rate, pulse rate, breathing rate and the blood pressure. So all of them will be monitored by integrating these components into the the textiles those are in the wearable already ready mainly.

And along with the silver oxide nanoparticle treatment that makes them antibacterial as well as we can be able to monitor these vital parameters continuously that will helpful for them to monitor these signs for elderly patients or patients overall needed in case of vital monitoring or even the remote monitoring, real-time monitoring. So there's various applications we can use. This technology.

So that has been we have successfully completed that project and that has got it's a very good appreciation from this project.

Thank you, Dr. Perumal, for that detailed response. It sounds like your work effectively combined cutting-edge research with practical applications, especially for healthcare needs. Building on that, could you share how you bridged this advanced research into a classroom setting? How did you simplify or adapt these complex concepts for students in a way that made them engaging and comprehensible?

Yes, Sir. Uh, definitely for, uh, teaching the complex, uh, uh, concepts, uh, into a simple manner, we can make analogy of, of the specific concept and we can relate those complex concept with that analogy and how that analogy will be simplified. It can be able to understand the students, then that can makes them.

More, uh, curious and then more interesting thing and what all they, they known about, uh, that complex concepts, then we can make them simplify with that analogy, with that explanation and then the practical demonstration. So that makes them more curious to know about the specific thing. And that's how we can able to teach the complex concepts into the simplified. Understandable form into the students.

So.

Understood, Dr. Perumal. Using analogies and practical demonstrations is an effective way to make intricate concepts accessible and engaging for students. One final question for this section: Given the interdisciplinary nature of your work, how do you encourage students from diverse academic backgrounds to contribute to innovations in biotechnology and bioengineering?

Yes, definitely. As I mentioned earlier, this biomaterials research is a multidisciplinary so because.

So, yeah, whatever the biometric biomaterial fabrication which needs expertise in the mechanical engineering and electrical engineering and then polymer based chemistry based, the environments or backgrounds are needed and in order for characterization. So we need to know about what all the chemical aspects and physical physiochemical characterization aspects so that that also needs the multidisciplinary.

Please

Can involve and then for the cell culture studies there the biology background people involvement is needed for in vivo studies, the animal handling experts, the veterinary insurance and then the other biology people with the multiple backgrounds of the biology as well as pharmacy and biotechnology, biomedical engineering. So those backgrounds will be collaboratively involved along with.

We can be able to develop a biomaterial and then characterization and in vitro in Bo clinical studies. We can develop with these biometrics and that's how the interdisciplinary platform will be involved to make the better the product. That will be definitely the game changer because one person can't do everything. So when we are. Involving the multidisciplinary approach.

We can able to solve the complex problem as well as the timeline, whatever it's given, we can be able to coordinate. We can be able to develop the better version of the product with the multidisciplinary approach.

Thank you, Dr. Perumal. I appreciate your thorough explanation of fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. Your perspective on integrating expertise from various fields like biology, chemistry, and engineering to address real-world problems is significant and truly highlights your approach to both research and teaching. Let us proceed.

Professor, let us delve into your vision for your research contributions at our institution. Could you provide a 3-year roadmap for your research initiatives? Please include how you plan to align them with our focus areas in regenerative medicine, microfluidics, organ-on-chip technologies, and therapeutics and diagnostics. How do you see this benefiting the institution in terms of impact and funding opportunities?

Yes.

Thanks for this question. Actually, the three-year road map after I joined VAT, here are the key areas like microfluidics, Organon, CHIP, regenerative medicine and biomaterials. So these areas are niche areas, emerging areas and we need the better healthcare system, especially the highly populated country like India. So we need to develop. The affordable.