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Associate Professor Dr Jaydee Cabral established her laboratory in 2021 in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Otago, and in 2025 in the Department of Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dentistry, in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Discover our research and learn about our current projects

Jaydee Cabral operating a 3D printer in a laboratoryAssociate Professor Jaydee Cabral

Peter ThorneProfessor Peter Thorne

John Fisher in front of University of Otago ClocktowerProfessor John Fisher

Adel Mekhail, Jaydee Cabral and Noelyn HungDr Adel Mekhail, Associate Professor Jaydee Cabral and Dr Noelyn Hung

We have a particular interest in the development of biomaterials, medical hydrogels, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and medical devices.

The Cabral laboratory has the only GeSiM 3.1 Bioscaffolder in New Zealand, a 4-axis, interchangeable, 3D bioprinter equipped with melt electrowriting, cold plasma, co-axial bioprinting, and piezoelectric capability.

View 3D co-axial bioprinting

View cold plasma-enhanced bioactivity of 3D-printed PCL scaffolds

Current research

Current projects include medical device development to treat hearing loss in collaboration with Professor Peter Thorne, Department of Physiology, University of Auckland and Callaghan Innovation funded via a 2024 MBIE Research Programme grant ($8.3 mil).

Other projects include development of 3D printed nipple areolar complex (NAC) implants for breast cancer patients and to 3D print a medical device to treat precancerous cervical lesions. The NAC project is in collaboration with the University of Maryland, USA, Professor John Fisher, Department Chair, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, Director of the Center of Complex Tissues, and funded via a Catalyst Seed grant. The precancerous cervical lesions medical device project is in collaboration with Dr Noelyn Hung (Department of Pathology) and Dr Adel Mekhail (gynaecologist, SDHB), and funded by a Translation Research Grant.

Previous research

Previous funding includes a Health Research Council Explorer Grant and a Lottery Health Research Grant to 3D bioprint vascularised, regenerative living dressings for the treatment of chronic wounds. As a key researcher in a multi-million-dollar Ministry of Business, Innovation, & Employment Funded project entitled “Smart gels for Commercialisation” Dr Cabral’s contribution in biomaterial development and characterisation resulted in an FDA approved and now commercialised surgical gel, Chitogel®.

Teaching

Associate Professor Cabral lectures in postgraduate Bioengineering courses.

Find out more about Otago University’s Centre of Bioengineering and Nanomedicine

Current group members

A photo of Jaydee Cabral at work in a laboratoryJaydee Cabral
Research Associate Professor
Email jaydee.cabral@otago.ac.nz

View Associate Professor Jaydee Cabral's profile


Staff

Judy Ann CocadizDr Judy Ann Cocadiz
Postdoctoral Fellow


Mina Rajabi imageDr Mina Rajabi
Postdoctoral Fellow


Postgraduate Students

A profile photo of Alexandria LeonardAlexandria Leonard
PhD Student


Emma Managh imageEmma Managh
MSc Student


Caitlin O'Donnell imageCaitlin O'Donnell
MSc Student


Teo De Rezende McGuinnessTeo De Rezende McGuinness
Honours Student


Opportunities

MSc scholarships are available for capable students interested in studying bioengineering at Otago.

The MSc position requires the applicant to be eligible for admission to the thesis-based Master’s Bioengineering Programme and for a Master’s Research Scholarship

For inquiries about MSc Bioengineering admission, please contact, Professor Azam Ali, Director, Bioengineering Academic Program, University of Otago.

Email azam.ali@otago.ac.nz
Mob +64 211 397 912

News

Previous lab members

MSc Bioengineering

Emily Crosse
Product Development Engineer, AVASA
View Emily Crosse's Bioengineering profile (PDF)

Minami Yoshida
Quality Assurance Scientist, Zenith Technology Corporation

Publications

Leonard, A. R., Cumming, M. H., Ali, M. A., & Cabral, J. D. (2025). One-pot crosslinking enables 3D printing of shear-recovery fish collagen VEGF-functionalized lnks. Tissue Engineering Part A. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/19373341251405177 Journal - Research Article

O'Donnell, C. R., Ali, M. A., & Cabral, J. D. (2025). Plasma surface modification of 3D printed scaffolds for neurovascularized nipple-areolar complexes. Tissue Engineering Part A. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/19373341251404450 Journal - Research Article

Leonard, A. R., Cumming, M. H., Cabral, J. D., & Ali, M. A. (2024). Impacts of novel crosslinking techniques and sterilisation treatments on marine fish skin collagen extracts for biomedical applications. Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry (NZIC) Conference. (pp. 85). Retrieved from https://nzic.org.nz/conferences Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Cabral, J. D., Thorsnes, Q. S., Turner, P. R., & Ali, A. (2024). A hybrid 3d additive manufacturing approach for engineering branched vasculature. Tissue Engineering Part A, 30(15-16), A26. doi: 10.1089/ten.tea.2024.06979.abs Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Berry-Kilgour, C., Oey, I., Cabral, J., King, J., & Wise, L. (2024, August). Decellularised ecklonia radiata as a sustainable cellulose matrix for tissue engineering. Verbal presentation at the BMS Postgraduate Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

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