Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
Interaction of the alveolar epithelium and macrophages under mechanical strain
Project overview. Hypothesis: Mechanical ventilation causes cyclic strain that hinders the resolution of alveolar inflammation by inhibiting the conversion of pro-inflammatory M1 (red) into anti-inflammatory M2 (blue) macrophages (MΦ) and influences the interaction of macrophages with the epithelium (grey). Model: Differentiated monolayers of hAELVI cells showing typical epithelial cell-matrix and cell-cell junctions after 14 days of maturation in co-culture with primary human MΦ. Approach: uniaxial and equibiaxial cyclic strain on elastomeric substrates.
Department of Biohybrid & Medical Textiles (BioTex), AME-Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University
Modeling the small airway mucosa in vitro to study mechanobiological effects on tissue remodeling
Project overview. (A) In vitro tri-culture model of the airway mucosa. PAS and immunohistochemical staining presenting an epithelial layer on top and an underlying fibrin gel seeded with endothelial and supporting cells. (B) Induced differentiation and tissue remodeling of the airway mucosa model after exposure to (patho-)physiological mechanical strain (stretch, pressure, compression, stiffness, wall shear stress) and involvement of mechanosensitive channels/mechano-responsive proteins are investigated.
Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research (IZKF), RWTH Aachen University Hospital
Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy (MOCA), Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy (MOCA), Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
Dissecting the mechanobiological contribution of Bruch’s membrane for the stability of neural retinal adhesion: a bottom-up approach
Project overview. The retina detects light via photoreceptor cells and outer segments (POS), whose homeostasis depends on direct contact with the retinal epithelium (RPE). This epithelium tightly adheres to the Bruch’s membrane (ECM), which defines its function. Still, the relationship between extracellular matrix biochemistry, physical properties and retinal epithelial mechanobiology has not been addressed. After development, retinal epithelial cells do not proliferate, so the epithelium cannot adapt to the extracellular remodelling that occurs with age (*). This opens the unexplored question of how mechanical forces control the cellular and tissue function of the retina (i.e., retinal mechanobiology) in normal ageing and age-related macular degeneration.