Research Team Member
The PI is a biological physicist who has been conducting research in the physical
mechanisms of early development using both experimental and modeling
approaches. He has developed extensive expertise in the biomechanics of cells,
tissues and extracellular matrices. In particular he has been using cellular
spheroids as models to study the three-dimensional organization of tissues. He has
designed and constructed several special purpose devices to measure the
viscoelastic and mechanical properties of biological materials (e.g. surface
tensiometer, magnetic tweezers, rheometer), which will be employed in the
project. He has used the results of these measurements to gain biologically
relevant information (e.g. on cell adhesion, metastatic potential of tumor cells,
efficiency of embryo cryopreservation, etc.). He has also developed expertise in
methods of molecular biology, particularly in transfection techniques. Besides
management, his contribution to the project will be based on his extensive
expertise with biophysical aspects of early development (in particular tissue
liquidity), modeling developmental processes, preparation of the bioink cell
aggregates (using an automated patent pending method) and their actual
deposition. In collaboration with Co-PIs Markwald and Newman his lab will carry
out the relevant quantitative experiments on the control and genetically modified
embryonic tissues. In collaboration with Co-PI Kachurin his lab will participate
in the bioprinting activity using the hydrogels engineered by Co-PI
Prestwich. Since he has already successfully modeled cellular self-assembly he
will collaborate with Co-PIs Kosztin and Neagu on numerical simulations. He has
co-authored publications with other Co-PIs (Markwald, Mironov, Neagu, Newman),
interacted with VaxDesign/Sciperio Inc. and thus has demonstrated collaborative
ties with most team members.
