MRI: Acquisition of a 3D Printer for Studying Biofluids and Biomechanics

Regents Of The University Of Idaho, Moscow ID

Investigators

Abstract

Fluid flow through biological tissues are challenging to accurately measure, model, and simulate because of their complex geometries and varying length scales. To address these research challenges, a high-resolution and mixed-material three-dimensional (3D) printer will be acquired. The proposed 3D printing technology uses jets of liquid photopolymer layers as thin as 16 microns to build high-resolution models of biological tissues. It will also enable novel combinations of rigid and soft materials in specific concentrations and structures in one printed model. The printer will advance ten innovative research areas that are under investigation by four interdisciplinary teams that include nine faculty from six departments in four colleges. The printer will support research in lung, spinal cord, brain, aneurysms, and in understanding the mechanical properties of tissues at multiple scales and fluid-tissue interactions. The experimental data with synthetic tissues will be used to validate numerical simulations of fluid-tissue interaction models. In addition to training graduate and undergraduate students, the printer will be used in 3D-printing competitions for local K-12 students, and high school students when they attend Women in Engineering Day on campus, which will broaden the participation of underrepresented minorities in engineering, science, physics, and technology. The goal of this project is to advance knowledge of biofluids and biomechanics by the ability to analyze complex physiological multiscale tissue structures, and especially improve fundamental understanding of these distinct topics of interest: (1) mechanisms of lung ventilation including the study at each anatomical level of the lung, from the microscale respiratory zone to the macroscale conducting zone; (2) cerebrospinal fluid drug delivery, in vitro bioreactor investigation of brain cancer drugs, a therapeutic approach for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and traumatic brain injury; (3) experimental fluid-tissue interactions using transparent models with precise and independent control of the surface roughness, fluid dynamics parameters, mechanical properties, and geometrical parameters; and (4) how the underlying micro- and macroscale collagen organization and structure regulate the bulk mechanical properties of musculoskeletal tissues with the development of 3D biomimetic tissue models. This project is jointly funded by CBET-MRI Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Program. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.