Project Grant 2311640

This $635,000 Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation supports research to understand how mechanical boundary conditions influence tissue assembly and repair in 3D fibrous microtissues. The research aims to advance knowledge about the mechanisms by which mechanical forces regulate new tissue formation and organization, particularly as it relates to wound healing. The project will integrate in vitro experiments and computational modeling to predict how micropost configurations induce heterogeneous stresses and strains within microtissues, and how this impacts the tissue assembly and repair process. The objective is to define the transition regime between successful gap closure versus failed gap closure for this in vitro tissue engineering system. This work will establish a generalizable methodology for integrating mechanistic and data-driven computational models for mechanobiological systems and promote national health by advancing the design of engineered devices and therapeutics to improve wound healing.