A Micro-Mechanical Testing Instrument

我们正在请求资金购买一种仪器，该仪器可以测量各种聚合物生物材料以及组织和单个细胞的刚度和其他机械性能。这些性质的精确测量对于设计用于各种生物医学应用的新的聚合物生物材料是必不可少的，例如用于将干细胞和/或蛋白质药物递送到软结缔组织（例如膝盖中的软骨）中，以便再生受损组织以治疗关节炎。我们特别感兴趣的是使用该设备来探索体内细胞对这些材料植入的反应方式。已知参与愈合的细胞会对材料硬度做出反应，但这种反应的原因尚不清楚。有了这个设备，再加上我们目前掌握的其他仪器，我们将努力弄清楚为什么这些细胞会有这样的反应。此外，我们计划使用该设备来测量红细胞膜的机械性能，以了解这些细胞之间的相互作用如何影响血液流动行为。然后，这些信息将用于改善动脉瘤破裂风险评估，并促进有关设计更安全和更有效的心血管器械（如支架和栓塞胶）的决策。

We are requesting funds to purchase an instrument that can measure the stiffness and other mechanical properties of a wide range of polymer biomaterials as well as those of tissues and individual cells. Precise measurement of these properties are essential in order to design new polymer biomaterials for a variety of biomedical applications, such as for the delivery of stem cells and/or protein drugs into soft connective tissue such as the cartilage in the knee in order to regenerate damaged tissue to treat arthritis. We are particularly interested in using the equipment to explore the manner in which the cells in the body respond to the implantation of these materials. The cells involved in healing are known to respond to material stiffness, but the reason for this response is unknown. With this equipment, in combination with other instruments currently at our disposal, we will endeavour to figure out why these cells respond the way they do. In addition, we plan to use this equipment to measure red blood cell membrane mechanical properties with a view towards understanding how interactions between these cells affect blood flow behaviour. This information will then be used to improve aneurysm rupture risk assessment and facilitate decisions concerning the design of safer and more effective cardiovascular devices such as stents and embolic glues.