Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Mechanotransduction

The overall aim of this summer research program is to investigate manufacturable cell growth substrata with mechanically tunable nanostructured features, resulting in a new generation of petri dishes optimally designed for maintenance and differentiation of variable cell phenotypes. Traditional approaches to in vitro cell culture has seen many advancements, including media formulations, protein substrates, and genetic engineering. However, these approaches are limited by a common substrate – the petri dish.

 

The structure and function of mammalian cells and tissues are regulated not only by the biochemical properties, but also by the structure and mechanical compliance of the substrate on which the cells are placed. A great deal of research has focused on this idea in the past 10 years, with many new wet bench and synthetic developments demonstrating the feasibility of mechanically and chemically directed cell differentiation. However, these studies lack wide-scale manufacturability.

 

An investigation of manufacturable mechanically tunable substrata has the potential to significantly enhance biomedical capabilities in cell biology. The recent emergence of nanoscale injection molding has created a situation in which optimized bio-relevant mechanical surface characteristics can be realized. The proposed project would target this opportunity with the goal of creating an alternative to traditional petri dishes, by examining the following:

These experiments coupled will allow for in depth correlation between cell function and material properties in future work.