A Micro-Mechanical Testing Instrument

我们正在申请资金购买一种仪器，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硬度和其他机械性能。这些性能的精确测量对于设计用于各种生物医学应用的新型聚合物生物材料至关重要，例如将干细胞和/或蛋白质药物输送到软结缔组织中，如膝关节软骨，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。众所周知，参与修复的细胞会对材料的硬度做出反应，但这种反应的原因尚不清楚。有了这台设备，再加上我们目前掌握的其他工具，我们将努力找出这些细胞为什么会做出这样的反应。此外，我们计划使用该设备测量红细胞膜的机械性能，以期了解这些细胞之间的相互作用如何影响血流行为。然后，这些信息将被用于改进动脉瘤破裂风险评估，并促进有关设计更安全、更有效的心血管装置(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.