Next generation microfluidic bioreactors for optimisation of ex vivo adult stem cell expansion and fate control
Duration:
October 2015–May 2019
Project Summary
MSCs under the microscope (blue: DAPI; green: beta-gal)
This project aims to study the impact of microenvironmental parameters on perivascular stem cell (PVSC), that is pericytes and mesenchymal stromal cells, senescence in vitro by: a.) integrating real-time measurements of pH, dissolved oxygen concentration and flow rate into a microfluidic bioreactor device platform; and b.) the extraction of cells and cellular secretions from defined microenvironments for further molecular analysis, and c) modulation of the viscoelastic properties of substrates. We envisage that we will thus be able to identify optimized conditions that actively inhibit or delay PVSC senescence during extended ex vivo expansion, and elucidate the role of mechanotransduction-driven processes in driving senescence.
