A bioengineering platform for the multiparametric and quantitative control of the cell environment across scales

跨尺度细胞环境多参数定量控制的生物工程平台

• 批准号: BB/T017961/1
• 负责人: Guillaume Blin
• 金额: $ 29.28万
• 依托单位: University of Edinburgh
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FT017961%2F1
• 关键词: bioengineering; platform; multiparametric; quantitative; control

Cells can generate forces. By pulling on their surrounding, the cells can sense how stiff or soft their environment is. Cells are also receptive to chemical signals. Both chemical and mechanical signals influence cell function, whether it divides, if it should move in any given direction or if it should differentiate. Understanding this process is fundamental if we want to understand how the cells build tissues and organs.How chemical and mechanical signals are integrated by the cells is unclear. One of the reasons for this is that decoupling the two experimentally is very challenging. In the body, these cues are largely intertwined and the cell environment is very complex. In this proposal we are requesting funding for an equipment that will allow us to build cellular environments in which we will be able to control the stiffness of the material independently of the chemistry of the environment. This will enable us to determine with great precision how each specific parameter of the cell environment affect different function of the cells or how they collectively organise to build tissues. We will use this knowledge to generate new in vitro models of organ physiology and study how ageing affects their function.The equipment will also be offered as a service to the wider community of researchers in Edinburgh. This technology is currently not available in our institutions but the demand is increasing rapidly and attracts interest from researchers across diverse fields of research.

细胞可以产生力。通过拉动周围环境，细胞可以感知环境的软硬程度。细胞也能接受化学信号。化学和机械信号都会影响细胞的功能，无论它是分裂，是否应该向任何给定的方向移动，或者是否应该分化。如果我们想了解细胞如何构建组织和器官，了解这个过程是至关重要的。细胞如何整合化学和机械信号还不清楚。其中一个原因是，在实验上将两者解耦是非常具有挑战性的。在体内，这些线索在很大程度上交织在一起，细胞环境非常复杂。在这项提案中，我们要求为一种设备提供资金，这种设备将使我们能够构建细胞环境，在这种环境中，我们将能够独立于环境的化学性质来控制材料的刚度。这将使我们能够非常精确地确定细胞环境的每个特定参数如何影响细胞的不同功能，或者它们如何共同组织以构建组织。我们将利用这些知识来产生新的器官生理学体外模型，并研究衰老如何影响它们的功能。该设备还将作为爱丁堡更广泛的研究人员社区的服务提供。这项技术目前还没有在我们的机构，但需求正在迅速增加，并吸引了来自不同研究领域的研究人员的兴趣。

项目成果

Quantitative developmental biology in vitro using micropatterning.

• DOI: 10.1242/dev.186387
• 发表时间: 2021-08-01
• 期刊: Development (Cambridge, England)
• 作者: Blin G