{"id":792,"date":"2017-03-03T11:47:39","date_gmt":"2017-03-03T16:47:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/photonics-ret\/?page_id=792"},"modified":"2021-09-28T12:16:08","modified_gmt":"2021-09-28T16:16:08","slug":"michael-smith","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/photonics-ret\/research-projects\/projects-2025\/2017-summer-projects\/michael-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Micropatterning for Traction Measurements<\/h3>\n<p><strong>PROJECT DESCRIPTION<\/strong><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/eng\/files\/2016\/02\/bme.profile.smith_.jpg\" class=\"alignright\" width=\"203\" height=\"265\" \/>Almost all living cells have the ability to apply contractile forces to their surroundings, yet the length and time scales involved in these mechanical interactions make them extremely difficult to interrogate. Our lab has developed a micro patterning technique for manufacturing small cell culture chips that can be used to measured deformations that result from contractile forces applied by single cells, and a custom image processing algorithm is available to convert these deformations into forces. In this project, the student will learn to fabricate these chips and use them to determine how the local cell microenvironment regulates cell contractility. This research has important implications for processes that require force generation including wound healing, control of blood and air flow, and development.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LABORATORY ASSISTANT<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:hanxu07@bu.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Han Xu<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>RESEARCH GOALS<\/strong><br \/>\nThe research goal of this project is to determine whether cell to cell contact regulates the contractile state of smooth muscle cells, an important determinant of blood and air flow through their ability to constrict blood vessels and airways, respectively.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LEARNING GOALS<\/strong><br \/>\n<span>\u2022<\/span>\u00a0Development of a basic understanding of cell mechanics<br \/>\n<span>\u2022<\/span>\u00a0Development of an appreciation for the role of mechanical forces in normal tissue function<br \/>\n<span>\u2022<\/span>\u00a0Learning cell culture techniques<br \/>\n<span>\u2022<\/span>\u00a0Learning time lapse microscopy and image processing using Matlab<br \/>\n<span>\u2022<\/span>\u00a0Development of a practical understanding and familiarity with micro patterning<\/p>\n<p><strong>TIMELINE<\/strong><br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Month 1:<\/span> learn cell culture and microscopy<br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Month 0.5 to 1.5:<\/span> learn micro patterning<br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Months 1.5 to 2.5:<\/span> develop understanding of cell mechanics and gather data on smooth muscle cells<\/p>\n<p><strong>Learn more about Professor Smith on his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/eng\/profile\/michael-l-smith-ph-d\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">faculty page<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Micropatterning for Traction Measurements PROJECT DESCRIPTION Almost all living cells have the ability to apply contractile forces to their surroundings, yet the length and time scales involved in these mechanical interactions make them extremely difficult to interrogate. Our lab has developed a micro patterning technique for manufacturing small cell culture chips that can be used [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12283,"featured_media":0,"parent":1201,"menu_order":8,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/photonics-ret\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/792"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/photonics-ret\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/photonics-ret\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/photonics-ret\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12283"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/photonics-ret\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=792"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/photonics-ret\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1720,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/photonics-ret\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/792\/revisions\/1720"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/photonics-ret\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/photonics-ret\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}