High-throughput testing of living heart muscles

Inside the human and animal heart are tiny cylinders of linearly-arranged heart muscle cells that contract primarily along their length. It’s possible to surgically extract these muscles and study their force production while they are sustained for many hours. Unfortunately, it’s hard to study more than one muscle at a time; pharmacologists, drug companies and physiologists would like to be able to record the force production of many samples simultaneously as they are kept alive for hours or even days.

This project will involve the engineering design and construction of an instrument for achieving this vision. A microscope-slide sized sample holder will be developed to hold up to 8 muscle samples in a warm, sterile environment while the muscles are studied in a microscope. All 8 muscles will be continuously stimulated, and their force production measured, by scanning from sample to sample. Custom control software and real-time hardware will be developed to monitor and record muscle performance.

This project will allow the student to develop and apply techniques in imaging, optics, software and hardware, and mechatronics, together with the application of mechanical design and advanced manufacturing methods. You’ll be working in a team environment alongside other engineers, and physiologists.

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics, or similar
• Eagerness to learn and develop new skills
• An interest in bioinstrumentation, devices, invention, and measurement
  

Page expires: 2 January 2025