CAREER: In Silico Tissue Engineering: An Active-Learning Computational Methodology to Guide the Design of Tissue Scaffolds

该学院早期职业发展(Career)项目奖的目标是构建一种计算方法，可以预测、量化并最终控制基于支架设计的工程化组织的生长机制。该方法将使对组织发育的细胞机制进行详细的研究，使模型和实验之间的实时集成，并最终打开基于模拟的组织支架设计的大门。研究成果还将自然地整合到一个多层次的教育计划中，以促进科罗拉多州基于模拟的材料设计的发展。如果成功，这项研究将使设计能够支持患者受损组织再生的水凝胶支架-S自己的细胞。从长远来看，这种个性化的医疗策略旨在取代组织，并最终取代器官移植。该项目将特别使：(A)对推动工程软骨生长的运输机制和生物力学有一个基本的见解，(B)一种新的方法，其中模拟？积极学习？(C)控制和优化硅基支架结构的设计策略，并指导实验工作。从教育角度来看，该项目也将产生影响，通过互动教学模块让K-12和本科生接触基于模拟的材料设计，并在CU-Boulder创建基于模拟的材料设计方案选项和课程。为配合这一努力，将在科罗拉多州组织一次讲习班，以促进基于模拟的材料设计，并鼓励实验材料科学研究和模拟材料科学研究之间的互动。

The objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program award is to construct a computational methodology that can predict, quantify and eventually control the growth mechanisms of engineered tissues based on scaffold design. The approach will enable detailed investigation into the cellular mechanisms responsible for tissue development, enable a real-time integration between model and experiments and finally open the door to the simulation-based design of tissue scaffolds. Research results will also be naturally integrated into a multi-level educational plan to promote the development of simulation-based materials design in Colorado.If successful, this research will enable the design of hydrogel scaffolds that can support the regeneration of damaged tissue from a patient?s own cells. In the long term, such personalized medicine strategies aim to replace tissue and eventually organ transplants. The project will particularly enable: (a) a fundamental insight onto the transport mechanisms and biomechanics driving the growth of engineered cartilage, (b) a novel methodology in which simulations ?actively learn? from experiments in order to optimize their predictive power and (c) a design strategy to control and optimize the scaffold structure in-silico and guide experimental efforts. From an educational viewpoint, this project will also have an impact by exposing K-12 and undergraduate students to simulation-based materials design via interactive teaching modules and the creation of a simulation-based materials design program option and course at CU-Boulder. This effort will be complemented by the organization of a workshop to promote simulation-based materials design and encourage interactions between experimental and modeling materials science research in Colorado.