MRI: Acquisition of a 3D Printer for Studying Biofluids and Biomechanics

流经生物组织的流体由于其复杂的几何形状和不同的长度尺度，在精确测量、建模和模拟方面具有挑战性。为了应对这些研究挑战，将获得一种高分辨率和混合材料的三维(3D)打印机。拟议的3D打印技术使用薄至16微米的液体光聚合物层喷射来建立高分辨率的生物组织模型。它还将在一个打印模型中实现硬质和软质材料在特定浓度和结构中的新颖组合。打印机将推进十个创新研究领域，这些领域正在由四个跨学科团队进行调查，其中包括来自四所学院六个系的九名教师。该打印机将支持对肺、脊髓、脑、动脉瘤的研究，以及在多个尺度上了解组织的机械性能和流体-组织相互作用。合成组织的实验数据将用于验证流体-组织相互作用模型的数值模拟。除了培训研究生和本科生，这台打印机还将用于当地K-12学生和高中生参加校园女性工程日的3D打印比赛，这将扩大工程、科学、物理和技术领域中未被充分代表的少数民族的参与。该项目的目标是通过分析复杂的生理多尺度组织结构来提高生物流体和生物力学的知识，特别是提高对这些不同的感兴趣主题的基本理解：(1)肺通风的机制，包括在肺的每个解剖水平上的研究，从微尺度呼吸带到大尺度传导带；(2)脑脊液给药、脑癌药物的体外生物反应器研究、肌萎缩侧索硬化症的治疗方法和创伤性脑损伤；(3)使用透明模型的实验流体-组织相互作用，并精确和独立地控制表面粗糙度、流体动力学参数、机械性能和几何参数；以及(4)随着3D仿生组织模型的发展，潜在的微观和宏观胶原组织和结构如何调节肌肉骨骼组织的整体机械性能。该项目由CBET-MRI计划和已建立的刺激竞争研究计划(EPSCoR)计划联合资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Fluid flow through biological tissues are challenging to accurately measure, model, and simulate because of their complex geometries and varying length scales. To address these research challenges, a high-resolution and mixed-material three-dimensional (3D) printer will be acquired. The proposed 3D printing technology uses jets of liquid photopolymer layers as thin as 16 microns to build high-resolution models of biological tissues. It will also enable novel combinations of rigid and soft materials in specific concentrations and structures in one printed model. The printer will advance ten innovative research areas that are under investigation by four interdisciplinary teams that include nine faculty from six departments in four colleges. The printer will support research in lung, spinal cord, brain, aneurysms, and in understanding the mechanical properties of tissues at multiple scales and fluid-tissue interactions. The experimental data with synthetic tissues will be used to validate numerical simulations of fluid-tissue interaction models. In addition to training graduate and undergraduate students, the printer will be used in 3D-printing competitions for local K-12 students, and high school students when they attend Women in Engineering Day on campus, which will broaden the participation of underrepresented minorities in engineering, science, physics, and technology.The goal of this project is to advance knowledge of biofluids and biomechanics by the ability to analyze complex physiological multiscale tissue structures, and especially improve fundamental understanding of these distinct topics of interest: (1) mechanisms of lung ventilation including the study at each anatomical level of the lung, from the microscale respiratory zone to the macroscale conducting zone; (2) cerebrospinal fluid drug delivery, in vitro bioreactor investigation of brain cancer drugs, a therapeutic approach for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and traumatic brain injury; (3) experimental fluid-tissue interactions using transparent models with precise and independent control of the surface roughness, fluid dynamics parameters, mechanical properties, and geometrical parameters; and (4) how the underlying micro- and macroscale collagen organization and structure regulate the bulk mechanical properties of musculoskeletal tissues with the development of 3D biomimetic tissue models.This project is jointly funded by CBET-MRI Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Program.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.