Tim R. Dargaville
Papers
2
Total Citations
266
H-Index
2
About
Tim R. Dargaville is a leading figure in biomaterials and tissue engineering, whose research centers on designing synthetic scaffolds that actively communicate with cells. His most transformative contribution lies in moving beyond the standard RGD peptide, a workhorse of cell adhesion, to discover new cell-adhesion peptides (CAPs) that more faithfully mimic the complex extracellular matrix. His landmark 2018 paper, "Discovering Cell-Adhesion Peptides in Tissue Engineering: Beyond RGD," has garnered over 255 citations, establishing a new paradigm for functionalizing biomaterials. Dargaville’s approach involves high-throughput screening of peptide libraries within 3D cell cultures, a method detailed in his 2020 follow-up, which allows researchers to identify sequences that promote specific cellular behaviors—such as migration or differentiation—that RGD alone cannot trigger. By expanding the toolkit of adhesive cues, his work directly addresses a critical bottleneck in regenerative medicine: creating materials that not only support cell life but direct tissue formation. For students and researchers, Dargaville’s research is a masterclass in how fundamental insights into cell-matrix interactions can be translated into practical, next-generation scaffold designs for repairing bone, cartilage, and other tissues.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Discovering Cell-Adhesion Peptides in Tissue Engineering: Beyond RGD255 citations · 2018
- 2