Bishop Lab
David Bishop is a professor at Boston University, head of the division of materials science, and the director of the CELL-MET engineering research center at Boston University.
The Bishop Lab studies how acute or chronic cardiac injuries, eg. through myocardial infarction or prolonged cardiac overload, cause irreversible damage to the heart. The field of cardiac tissue engineering aims to develop technologies to biomanufacture engineered tissues that could replace injured or diseased native myocardium and restore normal cardiac function for the patient. The goal of this project is to engineer hydrogel-based 3D tissue grafts containing dense and organized beds of capillaries interspersed between aligned bundles of cardiomyocytes. Students contributing to this project will develop expertise tissue engineering and biomaterials development, in particular melt electro-writing and tissue microfabrication.
Projects
Wide-and Zero-bandgap Two-dimensional Devices for Liquid Sensing Applications (2023)
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Two-dimensional materials are atomically thin and readily couple to liquids at a phase interface resulting in perturbation of electrical transport. For example, characterization of charge carrier transport in monolayer graphene as a function of solutal variables is critical for developing sensors capable of characterizing biological fluids. For example, ionized components in an aqueous system can alter the ionic strength and acidity and have strong implications regarding structure-function relationships of biomolecules like proteins and nucleic acids, influencing the efficacy of graphene-based devices for biological assays. Monolayer graphene, a semimetal, can form heterostructures via van der Waals intermolecular forces with other two-dimensional materials like hexagonal boron nitride, a wide-bandgap semiconductor.
Recently, both monolayer graphene and hexagonal boron nitride have reached wafer-scale commercialization, affording an opportunity to increase throughput for characterization of two-dimensional heterostructures for biosensing applications. Contemporary diagnostics rely on expensive, time-consuming, optically-limited mechanisms that obstructs complete access to biomolecular profiles. Two-dimensional heterostructures may unlock the information needed to profile physiology and disease beyond current state-of-the-art technology. The specific research goals were to:
1. Fabrication of two-dimensional field-effect transistors
2. Characterization of the two-dimensional field-effect transistors: two- and three-terminal electrical measurements, Raman spectroscopy, optical microscopy
3. Aid in the assembly of a Hall effect measurement station using computer-aided design (Solidworks), programing electrical measurement instrumentation with a computer (matlab), and integration of a fluidics circuit
LEARNING GOALS
• Learn about the design and fabrication in cleanroom
• Learn about graphene device physics
• Learn how to plan a short-term project and execute
• Learn interpersonal skills to achieve research and learning goals
LABORATORY MENTOR
Nicholas E. Fuhr
Wide-and Zero-bandgap Two-dimensional Devices for Liquid Sensing Applications (2019)
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Two-dimensional materials are atomically thin and readily couple to liquids at a phase interface resulting in perturbation of electrical transport. Monolayer graphene, a semimetal, can form heterostructures via van der Waals intermolecular forces with other two-dimensional materials like hexagonal boron nitride, a wide-bandgap semiconductor. Recently, both monolayer graphene and hexagonal boron nitride have reached wafer-scale commercialization, affording an opportunity to increase throughput for characterization of two-dimensional heterostructures for biosensing applications. Contemporary diagnostics rely on expensive, time-consuming, optically-limited mechanisms that obstructs complete access to biomolecular profiles. Two-dimensional heterostructures may unlock the information needed to profile physiology and disease beyond current state-of-the-art technology. Through this process REU students develop wet-lab skills including bioprinting, tissue culture, microscopy, and biomaterial fabrication. The specific research goals were to:
1. Perform studies to inform the optimal design of cardiac microbundles.
2. Test methods for integrating micro-scale vasculature into cardiac grafts.
LABORATORY MENTOR
Nicholas E. Fuhr
