Design of an organ-on-a-chip model of soft-hard tissue interfaces

该项目将侧重于了解软硬组织界面及其在生理和病理情况下的重塑。硬组织和软组织之间的界面对于肌肉骨骼系统的生物力学功能至关重要。这种软硬界面确实在生物力学刺激和宏观运动期间传递显著的应力。然而，在病理情况下和老化过程中，这些界面通常会减弱并失去一些强度和相关的生物力学功能。与葛兰素史克公司合作，拟议的项目将利用Gautrot实验室开发的器官芯片平台来研究软硬组织界面，它们在生理和病理情况下的形成和重塑，以及应对机械挑战。学生将发展生物医学工程的多学科技能，制造器官芯片和干细胞培养，用于开发先进的3D组织培养模型。为了支持这项工作，学生将接受生物样品表征（共聚焦显微镜，活体显微镜，电子显微镜，蛋白质印迹，qPCR）和生物物理表征技术的培训。该项目将与我们小组的其他项目整合，重点关注新型智能生物材料和生物界面的开发（http：//biointerfaces.qmul.ac.uk/），我们的研究小组在这些领域拥有良好的跟踪记录（参见Nano Lett 2018和2014，ACS Nano 2018，Nature Materials 2012，Nature Cell Biology 2010，Chem. Rev. 2014）。

The project will focus on the understanding of soft-hard tissue interfaces and their remodelling in physiological and pathological scenarios.Interfaces between hard and soft tissues are essential for the biomechanical function of the musculo-skeletal system. Such soft-hard interfaces indeed transfer significant stress during biomechanical stimulation and macroscale motility. However, in pathological scenarios and during ageing, these interfaces can typically weaken and lose some of their strength and associated biomechanical function. In collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, the proposed project will make use of organ-on-chip platforms developed in the Gautrot lab to study soft-hard tissue interfaces, their formation and remodelling during physiological and pathological scenarios, and in response to mechanical challenge.The student will develop multidisciplinary skills in biomedical engineering, the fabrication of organ-on-chips and stem cell culture for the development of advanced 3D tissue culture models. To support this work, the student will be trained in the characterisation of biological samples (confocal microscopy, live microscopy, electron microscopy, western blotting, qPCR) and biophysical characterisation techniques. This project will be integrated with other projects in our group focusing on the development of novel smart biomaterials and biointerfaces (http://biointerfaces.qmul.ac.uk/), fields in which our research group has a strong track-record (see Nano Lett 2018 and 2014, ACS Nano 2018, Nature Materials 2012, Nature Cell Biology 2010, Chem. Rev. 2014).