Light-printed hydrogel structures for cell and tissue testing

Biological tissues such as muscle are delicate, and easy to damage when they are being stretched. To get around this problem, we have developed a microscope-based ‘light-printer’ that allows us to design and project optical patterns onto light-curable cell-friendly hydrogels that contain living cells or tissues. Gel stiffness is patterned spatially by light intensity and curing time to micron-scale resolution in the focal plane. In the same device, we have implemented real-time image-based methods that allow us to track the displacement of the gels or cells, and control their motion using an piezoelectric motor. This device now allows us to test the mechanical properties (stiffness, force production) of tissues such as heart muscle. 

In this PhD project, we’d like to explore methods for printing useful structures of user-definable and well-characterised stiffness surrounding the cells, or multicellular preparations. These might include force sensors for detecting cell force production, but also microfluidic devices for directing pharmacological agents to the cells. In addition, we’d like to explore the use of vapour-induced gas formation to create vapour-pressure actuators, on demand, at specific locations in the gel. Using these tools, we propose to create printed-on-demand testing devices for determining the mechanical properties of cells in a high-throughput manner. These will be used to explore the effect of different mechanical loads on multicellular contractile tissues such as heart muscle.  

Skills in physics, mechatronics, biomedical engineering, and/or an interest in the use of hydrogels for biomedical sensing. 

This project is eligible for funding but is subject to eligibility criteria & funding availability.

Page expires: 20 June 2025