Professor & Department Chair, J. Crayton Pruitt Family & UF Foundation Preeminence Professor

Biomaterials, controlled release, regenerative medicine & diabetes

B.S., Chemical Engineering, The Florida State University and Florida A&M University, 1998
Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, The Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, 2004

Research Summary:
Dr. Stabler’s research centers on engineering translational biomaterial platforms for cell-based therapies, particularly Type 1 diabetes. Specifically, her research seeks to develop bioactive materials capable of: protecting cells from immunological attack; providing 3-D support of the transplanted cells; presenting cues for guiding positive host cell remodeling; and releasing therapeutic agents. Through the fabrication of novel biomaterials capable of actively interfacing with the host, she seeks to optimize the graft environment to favor the long-term survival and function of the implanted cells.

Honors and Awards:

• UF Foundation Preeminence Term Professor, 2022-2023
• UF HWCOE Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentor Award, 2021
• Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Fellow, 2021
• Integra LifeSciences Term Professor, 2020-2023
• Society for Biomaterials, Member-at-Large, 2019
• Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering Teacher/Scholar Award, 2019
• Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), 2018
• Teaching Excellence Award, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, 2018
• Bioengineering, Technology, and Surgical Sciences Study Section, NIH Center for Scientific Review, 2016
• Service Excellence Award, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, 2016
• University of Miami, College of Engineering, Johnson A. Edosomwan Researcher of the Year, 2011
• University of Miami, College of Engineering, Eliahu I. Jury Early Career Research Award, 2009
• National Institutes of Health NIDDK Type 1 Diabetes Pathfinder Award, 2008
• Most-Cited Article of the Year, Bioconjugate Chemistry (American Chemical Society), 2006
• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2005
• NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (Declined in lieu of JDRF Fellowship), 2005

Selected Publications:
Google Scholar Citations Link

Weaver, JD, and Stabler, CL, “Antioxidant Cerium Oxide Nanoparticle Hydrogels for Cellular Encapsulation,” Acta Biomaterialia, Apr; 16, pp 136-44 (2015)

Rengifo, HR, Giraldo, JA, Labrada, I,  and Stabler, CL, “Long-term Survival of Allograft Murine Islets Coated via Covalently Stabilized Polymers,” Advanced Healthcare Materials, 3 (7), pp 1061-70 (2014).

Gattás-Asfura, KM, and Stabler, CL, “Bioorthogonal Layer-by-layer Encapsulation of Pancreatic Islets via Hyperbranched Polymers,” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 5 (20), pp 9964–9974 (2013)

Brady, A-C, Martino, MM, Pedraza, E, Sukert, S, Pileggi, A, Ricordi, C, Hubbell, JA, and Stabler, CL, “Modulated Release of Pro-Angiogenic Factors within Macroporous Scaffolds Enhances Islet Engraftment in an Extrahepatic Site,” Tissue Engineering, 19 (23-24), pp. 2544-52, (2013).

Pedraza, E. , Coronel, MM, Fraker, CA, Ricordi, C, and Stabler, CL, “Preventing Hypoxia-Induced Cell death in Beta Cells and Islets via Hydrolytically Activated, Oxygen-Generating Biomaterials,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(11) pp. 4245-50 (2012).