Skip to main content

Tissue Model of The Epithelial Mesenchymal Trophic Unit

A 3D scaffold that can mimic properties and functions of in-vivo ECM and will be compatible with the lung epithelial cells used for experimentation.

Project Overview

A multitude of chronic lung diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can cause damage to epithelial tissues of the lungs. This presents a problem because when this tissue is damaged, a fibrotic response is triggered in sub-epithelial fibroblasts that results in further disease and fibrosis. There are currently no tissue models that accurately recreate the lung extracellular matrix and its changes due to cell injury. Such a model would need to have tunable mechanical stiffness and porosity, as well as be cell adhesive and degradable. Dr. Brasier of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health requires a scaffold that meets these criteria to be fabricated with a bioprinter. The scaffold must have a uniform and replicable composition that allows for epithelial cell culture in an air-liquid interface (ALI) so that his lab can study the effects of fibrosis on small-airway lung epithelial cells.

Team Picture

Anuraag Belavadi, Will Onuscheck, Nick Herbst, Elijah Diederich, Caitriona Treacy, Carley Schwartz
Anuraag Belavadi, Will Onuscheck, Nick Herbst, Elijah Diederich, Caitriona Treacy, Carley Schwartz

Files

Contact Information

Team Members

  • Elijah Diederich - Co-Team Leader
  • Ms. Carley Schwartz - Co-Team Leader
  • Caitriona Treacy - Communicator
  • William Onuscheck - BSAC
  • Anuraag Shreekanth Belavadi - BWIG
  • Nick Herbst - BPAG
  • Anibas Jake

Advisor and Client

  • Prof. Tracy Jane Puccinelli - Advisor
  • Dr. Allan Brasier - Client

Related Projects

Back to Top