Investigations of Cell Responses to Extreme Environments Created by 3D Printing
Abstract
The goal of this project is to advance the understanding of the effects of extreme environments on human biological systems by investigating cellular responses to extreme environments created by 3D printing. The research objectives are- (a) crafting various highly reproducible and controllable extreme environments (such as mechanical stress-pressure, temperature, vibration, and hypoxia) using 3D printing; (b) investigating the biophysical responses of lung cells to the created extreme environments; (c) investigating the biophysical responses of brain cells to the created extreme environments; and (d) developing and implementing non-invasive and label-free optical imaging methods to observe cellular responses to the created extreme environments. To achieve these objectives, both experimentation and simulation-modeling will be performed. A wide range of variables will be explored, including bioink type, bioink composition, nozzle diameter, extrusion pressure, extrusion temperature, printing speed, and the crosslinking method. Cell viability, DNA structure, gene expression, transcription, translation, metabolism, cytoskeleton dynamics and functional phenotype will be assessed before and after exposing cells to extreme environments. Potential confounding effects of multiple variables will be mitigated to achieve better reproducibility. Potential impacts of this research include- (1) mitigating health risks faced by US Air Force pilots and other personnel during operations in both peacetime and wartime; (2) enabling fundamental studies in biophysics, biochemistry, and cell biology; (3) providing insights into the use of advanced manufacturing technologies to provide realistic model systems and to solve problems in the life sciences; (4) advancing bioimaging techniques; and (5) improving university level Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education and internationalization for the US domestic workforce in preparation to the DOD mission.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 07, 2024
- Source ID
- FA95502310599
Entities
People
- Zhijian Pei
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Texas Engineering Experiment Station
- United States Air Force