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Multiscale Mechanotherapeutics
We are developing new regenerative therapeutics by interfacing cell biology with physical and digital approaches to biomaterial design. It has become increasingly appreciated that cells generate contractile forces and respond to different types of mechanical information encoded in materials, such as elasticity and shear, to control their own functions. We are investigating how physical cues influence different stem cell functions and applying these insights to design new stem cell therapy products, control stem cell delivery, and target stem cells in the body. In particular, we are looking at how mechanics can control the ability of cells to communicate with each other by secreting growth and immunological factors. In parallel, we are developing different approaches to coat individual cells in thin micro-to-nanoscale hydrogels with defined mechanical properties, enabling the digital control of mechanical biology. We are also developing new synthetic microgels that can be used to recapitulate key physical properties of cells and serve as basic units for tissue assembly. Success of these efforts will lay a foundation not only for the next-generation digital fabrication of functional tissues, but also for the control of tissue regeneration directly in the body.
Institution
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Funding
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Projects
Digital cell encapsulation
Physical control of biological particles
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Synthetic mechanobiology
Mechanoregeneration
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