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This is the launch event for a new consortium, focused on research into tissue behaviour in extreme conditions. Modelling the tissue response to extreme physiological environments is essential for understanding pathology in numerous clinical disorders. These include the alterations induced by degeneration in both a terrestrial context, during ageing, trauma or surgery; as well as in an aviation/space physiology context, with exposure to prolonged microgravity, hypoxia or acceleration during space operations. Simulating these conditions in a laboratory setting is a difficult task, which relies on in vivo models, often associated with numerous constraints. As such, organoids and organotypic systems, which are micro-organs and artificial tissue models that can be developed in vitro, have become increasingly used in the past decade to model damage and disease. These avatars of various tissues can be produced using human cells grown inside polymeric matrices, generated through a variety of chemical engineering methods. When cultured in controlled environmental conditions, these develop relevant anatomical structures and cellular phenotypes. Importantly, given their size, ranging from the micron to the centimetre scale, they can now be introduced into a variety of technical systems that can alter their microenvironment. These technologies allow the simulation of reduced mechanical stress (i.e. analogue microgravity) and, at the opposite end of the spectrum, significant mechanical pressure, as seen in tissue damage following trauma, accidents or blast exposure.
This consortium, established at the University of Birmingham and run in partnership with Cranfield Defence and Security, brings together academics from several biological and engineering backgrounds, including tissue engineering, space physiology/biomedicine, shock physics, materials behaviour and analogue field research. The network is designed as a collaborative platform for knowledge and skill transfer and draws together a unique range of expertise and capabilities in the UK for studying the effects of extreme environments on human biology in model systems, from tissue loss in simulated microgravity, all the way to the shock response of tissues. Such capabilities include advanced biofabrication and tissue engineering technologies for multi-phase construct generation, bioprinting of cells and matrices, bioreactors for dynamic culture and simulating orbital buoyancy; together with a range of equipment for impact testing and launching materials at high velocities, part of the single largest collection of gas-guns within the United Kingdom at Cranfield University (based at the Defence Academy of the UK, an MOD training establishment).
This is the first in a series of events organised by the consortium, which will commence with talks from the founders, followed by a networking event.
For further information, please contact Dr Alexandra Iordachescu (A.Iordachescu@bham.ac.uk) or Prof. Gareth Appleby-Thomas (g.thomas@cranfield.ac.uk).
This is the launch event for a new consortium, focused on research into tissue behaviour in extreme conditions. Modelling the tissue response to extreme physiological environments is essential for understanding pathology in numerous clinical disorders. These include the alterations induced by degeneration in both a terrestrial context, during ageing, trauma or surgery; as well as in an aviation/space physiology context, with exposure to prolonged microgravity, hypoxia or acceleration during space operations. Simulating these conditions in a laboratory setting is a difficult task, which relies on in vivo models, often associated with numerous constraints. As such, organoids and organotypic systems, which are micro-organs and artificial tissue models that can be developed in vitro, have become increasingly used in the past decade to model damage and disease. These avatars of various tissues can be produced using human cells grown inside polymeric matrices, generated through a variety of chemical engineering methods. When cultured in controlled environmental conditions, these develop relevant anatomical structures and cellular phenotypes. Importantly, given their size, ranging from the micron to the centimetre scale, they can now be introduced into a variety of technical systems that can alter their microenvironment. These technologies allow the simulation of reduced mechanical stress (i.e. analogue microgravity) and, at the opposite end of the spectrum, significant mechanical pressure, as seen in tissue damage following trauma, accidents or blast exposure.
This consortium, established at the University of Birmingham and run in partnership with Cranfield Defence and Security, brings together academics from several biological and engineering backgrounds, including tissue engineering, space physiology/biomedicine, shock physics, materials behaviour and analogue field research. The network is designed as a collaborative platform for knowledge and skill transfer and draws together a unique range of expertise and capabilities in the UK for studying the effects of extreme environments on human biology in model systems, from tissue loss in simulated microgravity, all the way to the shock response of tissues. Such capabilities include advanced biofabrication and tissue engineering technologies for multi-phase construct generation, bioprinting of cells and matrices, bioreactors for dynamic culture and simulating orbital buoyancy; together with a range of equipment for impact testing and launching materials at high velocities, part of the single largest collection of gas-guns within the United Kingdom at Cranfield University (based at the Defence Academy of the UK, an MOD training establishment).
This is the first in a series of events organised by the consortium, which will commence with talks from the founders, followed by a networking event.
For further information, please contact Dr Alexandra Iordachescu (A.Iordachescu@bham.ac.uk) or Prof. Gareth Appleby-Thomas (g.thomas@cranfield.ac.uk).
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