Piezoelectric polymer nanostructures for tissue growth stimulation.

用于组织生长刺激的压电聚合物纳米结构。描述：细胞刺激可以通过三种主要方法发生；化工、机械、电子。该项目将通过压电纳米线的介质探索后两种技术，压电纳米线可以通过电场的应用产生机械刺激。此外，电场本身的应用预计会影响细胞的生长和行为。最终希望能够实现对组织刺激的充分控制，以创建组织接口装置，以取代生物相容性较差的合成装置。主要目标：该项目旨在识别和开发一种合适的生物相容性压电材料，其性能可以通过过程控制在纳米尺度上进行控制。然后，这些将与使用气溶胶喷射打印技术的电检测能力相结合，该技术将为压电纳米结构提供微米级的电访问，从而形成生物机电接口平台。然后，该平台将用于研究和控制各种不同细胞类型的行为，努力实现目标细胞和组织的生长和刺激。新科学：在细胞水平上动态控制生物材料机电环境的能力将揭示决定细胞信号传导和行为的机制。重要的是，该项目将提供一个强大的工具，利用外部电场操纵细胞的局部环境，这可能会导致定向组织生长和再生的进步。

Piezoelectric polymer nanostructures for tissue growth stimulation.Description: Cell stimulation can occur via three main methods; chemical, mechanical and electronic. This project will explore the latter two techniques via the medium of piezoelectric nanowires, which can be utilised to produce mechanical stimulation via the application of an electric field. In addition the application of the electric field itself is expected to influence cell growth and behaviour. It is eventually hoped that sufficient control of tissue stimulation may be achieved to create tissue interfacing devices, to replace less biocompatible synthetic devices.Key Objectives: The project aims to identify and develop a suitable biocompatible piezoelectric material whose properties can be controlled at the nanoscale through process control. These will then be integrated with electrical detection capability using an aerosol-jet printing technique that will provide micron-level electrical access to the piezoelectric nanostructures, thus resulting in a bio-electromechanical interfacing platform. This platform will then be deployed to study and control the behaviour of a variety of different cell types, with efforts towards targeted cell and tissue growth and stimulation.Novel Science: The ability to dynamically control the electromechanical environment of biological material at the cellular level will shed new light on the mechanisms determining cell signalling and behaviour. Importantly, this project will provide a powerful tool to manipulate the local environment of cells using external electric fields that could lead to advances in directed tissue growth and regeneration.