Novel Transitional Engineered Liver Models Using Detachable Polyelectrolyte Multilayers

非技术：该奖项由弗吉尼亚理工学院和州立大学材料研究部的生物材料项目支持，由化学、生物工程、环境和运输系统（CBET）部的BME项目共同资助。肝纤维化在美国是导致死亡的主要原因。酗酒、肥胖、糖尿病或病毒感染是诱发纤维化的一些起始事件。这些事件都会引起严重的肝脏炎症，从而改变导致纤维化开始和进展的信号通路。该项目将采用以基础科学为重点的生物材料方法，对纤维化进展背后的细胞和信号机制产生新的见解。该项目包括K-12外展计划。通过为期一周的夏令营，该项目将为高中生提供了解生物膜如何影响肝细胞特性的机会。为期一周的夏令营将包括实验和分析活动。总体目标是鼓励高中生考虑STEM领域的未来教育和职业技术：肝纤维化是全球死亡的主要原因。肝纤维化导致的其他一些极端有害的疾病包括肝癌、肾衰竭、毒素引起的昏迷、出血和一系列代谢紊乱。本项目将从基础科学聚焦生物材料的角度研究肝纤维化的发生和发展。该项目旨在设计工程化的过渡组织。研究人员将开发一种过渡性肝组织，其中包含一种聚合物膜，该膜在机械和化学性质上都表现出梯度。他们将试图确定为了维持肝纤维化，肝脏的化学和机械特征必须在多大程度上变化，并了解主要肝细胞如何对更硬的基质和不同的化学浓度作出反应。

Non-Technical:This award supported by the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, is co-funded by the BME program in the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (CBET). Liver fibrosis is a leading cause of death in the USA. Alcohol abuse, obesity, diabetes or viral infections are some initiating events that induce fibrosis. Each of these events causes severe liver inflammation, thereby altering signaling pathways leading to the initiation and progression of fibrosis. This project will use a fundamental science focused biomaterials approach to generate novel insights into the cellular and signaling mechanisms that underlie the progression of fibrosis. This project includes a K-12 outreach program. Through a one-week summer camp, the project will provide opportunities to high-school students to understand how biological membranes affect the properties of liver cells. The one-week camp will include experimental and analytical activities. The overall goal is to encourage high-school students to consider future education and careers in STEM fieldsTechnical:Liver fibrosis is a leading cause of death worldwide. Some other extremely harmful conditions that result due to liver fibrosis are hepatic carcinomas, renal failure, toxin-induced comas, bleeding, and a host of metabolic disorders. This project will study the initiation and progression of liver fibrosis from a fundamental science focused biomaterials perspective. This project seeks to design engineered transitional tissues. The investigators will develop a transitional liver tissue containing a polymeric membrane that exhibits a gradient in both mechanical and chemical properties. They will seek to determine to what extent must chemical and mechanical profiles vary in the liver in order to sustain hepatic fibrosis and to understand how the major hepatic cells respond to stiffer matrices and varying chemical concentrations.