We live in an exciting time where new tools from engineering and molecular biology enable us to engineer biology, by designing proteins, and producing cells and tissues with specific characteristics. In the Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory at Carleton, we take an interdisciplinary approach to characterize the mechanical properties of biopolymers, cells, and tissues, in order to understand how changes in protein function lead to diseases of cell and tissue fragility, and to reverse engineer these characteristics for use in regenerative medicine. To accomplish this goal, we design and build novel mechanical testing tools and use advanced optical microscopy techniques, that allow us to operate at the length scale of single cells and tissues.
Research Interests
- We investigate the molecular determinants of cell and tissue mechanical properties, to understand how changes to protein function lead to diseases of tissue fragility. This includes skin tissue mechanics, mechanisms of platelet production, and the mechanics of the cytoskeleton and intercellular adhesions.
- We design, use, and build tools for cell and tissue mechanical testing, optical microscopy, and general lab work using our expertise in engineering to study biology. This includes Atomic Force Microscopy, novel custom mechanical testing and optical systems, Spinning Disk Confocal, and TIRF microscopy.
- Taking a bottom-up molecular approach we aim to reverse engineer protein, cell and tissue properties for personalized and regenerative medicine. To accomplish this, we draw on our expertise in molecular biology, protein purification and in vitro assays.
- Engineering education. We engage the next generation of engineers and scientists through the development of novel educational tools that provide hands-on, experiential learning activities.
