Manufacturing and characterization of hydrogel microstructures

Project Description

This project aims to manufacture hydrogel structures that are coupled to active biopolymer composites to measure and control protein-driven contractile forces. In cells, such proteins create and respond to chemical cues to allow the cell move, change shape and divide. This in turn enables long-range transmission of mechanical signals that also influence cellular behavior. This award will enable the development of novel hydrogel microstructures that will allow such complex feedback-driven mechanochemical circuits to be studied and engineered. The 3D printing platforms of BioPACIFIC MIP will allow us to rapidly design, build and test architected structures, while precisely controlling their mechanical properties. Our results will establish a material platform for biotic/abiotic interface materials, generate benchmark datasets for the design and manufacture of hydrogel microstructures, and pioneer analytical tools for the design and characterization of architected hydrogels. This work leverages NSF DMREF Award DMR-2118403.

Instruments