Thomas Bifano

Measuring Dynamic Stiffness of Engineered Cardiac Tissue (RET Project)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
In the CELL-MET Engineering Research Center led by BU, a prominent goal is to use human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to create and mature three-dimensional microbundles of cardiac tissue, ultimately for use in cardiac tissue patches intended to repair heart damage. These microbundles spontaneously “beat,” and can be matured from their initial embryonic state to a more viable state through electrical, chemical, and mechanical conditioning. As the tissue matures, its mechanical properties are expected to change.

In this RET project, a former REU student (now a doctoral student) and an RET participant will develop a system and process to measure stiffness of microbundles.

LABORATORY MENTOR
Francisco Sanchez

RESEARCH GOALS
– Measure static stress-strain curves for microbundles subjected to tensile loading. Evaluate sources of error and determine the accuracy and precision of the measurement technique. Estimate tissue elastic modulus.
– Correlate tissue stiffness with other measures of tissue maturity (e.g. peak measured contractile force)
– Measure dynamic stress strain curves to evaluate time-dependent viscoelastic properties of cardiac microbundles

LEARNING GOALS
– Improved understanding of the mechanics of engineered cardiac tissue
– Basic skills in wide field microscopy, image tracking, real-time actuation and sensing, and feedback control

Learn more about Professor Bifano on his faculty page.