Tessa Gunnin

Class of 2020

Education: Blended BS + MS Biomedical Engineering at Cal Poly

 

Biography

Tessa finds stem cell research and regenerative medicine compelling because of its utility in understanding and curing debilitating diseases. She is excited by many areas of cell and tissue engineering but finds stem cell therapy in ophthalmology particularly interesting. After completing the program, she hopes to enter into the tissue engineering or medical device industry where she can contribute to improving healthcare solutions.

Tessa interned at ViaCyte within the R&D Device Engineering group under the supervision of Chris Folk and Craig McGreevy. The company aims to develop a combination product composed of device and biological components to provide an islet cell replacement therapy for insulin-requiring diabetes. Tessa performed device testing as part of concept and feasibility phases as well as design verification and validation of the company’s encapsulated, or VC-01, product for eventual application in the clinic.