RII Track-1: ND-ACES: New Discoveries in the Advanced Interface of Computation, Engineering, and Science

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In order to diversify North Dakota’s economy beyond agriculture and energy, ND-ACES will generate new knowledge and increase jurisdictional competitiveness in bioscience areas, particularly those related to cancer therapies. A key focus is the improved understanding of the region of contact, or biointerface, between a biological tissue and a biomaterial. Scaffold biomaterials will be designed that stimulate the growth of new tissue at the biointerface. ND-ACES will optimize the design of biointerfaces through a collaboration among multiple fields of sciences and engineering, including materials science, cell biology and biochemistry, medicine, and computational modeling. Computational tools will allow the modeling of the 3D cancerous tumor environment and resulting cellular responses. These studies will address the urgent need to increase the understanding of interactions between cells and surfaces in the context of tumor growth, metastasis, and response to therapies. ND-ACES will enhance research resources and develop the computationally skilled workforce in North Dakota. During the five years of this project, a diverse group of researchers and students from ten academic institutions in North Dakota, including four tribal colleges, three primarily undergraduate institutions, and one master’s university, will participate in the research and educational activities. This project will forge partnerships with industries and other stakeholders and prepare a well-trained workforce capable of meeting the needs of bioscience in North Dakota and beyond.The North Dakota EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-1 project, ND-ACES, will use computational modeling to develop improved interdisciplinary understanding of biological and engineered materials biointerfaces; expand expertise in novel cellular growth and analysis paradigms for mimicking the in vivo environment of cancerous tumors; catalyze research/computing capabilities; support the translation of research into use through products, partnerships, and collaborations with various stakeholders; and inform North Dakota's citizens. ND-ACES builds research capacity to better understand design rules that govern in vitro biointerfaces and influence in vivo decisions surrounding the understanding of biochemistry and the cell biology of cancer cells and tumors. Computationally created design rules can enhance predictability of cellular responses to material surface characteristics and provide fundamental information to address many bioscience challenges. Thus, the integration of computational modeling as a prominent research tool allows for more extensive testing than possible with trial-and-error methods. ND-ACES efforts incorporate both faculty and students at all ten participating institutions in collaborative research, early career development, education enhancement, and outreach to increase the abilities of early career faculty, increase advanced scientific computing capabilities, and broaden the participation and number of STEM undergraduate and graduate students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.