Faculty

Mechanical stimulation of cells and mechanical conditioning of the developed tissue

Attempts to engineer functional connective tissues in vitro have not proven to be entirely successful. Recent studies have demonstrated that physical forces, in part, play an import role in both the development and maintenance of these tissues in vivo. For this reason, we have been investigating whether the application of dynamic mechanical forces (e.g. compression, shear) can accelerate tissue growth and improve the mechanical performance of the developed tissue. Similarly, we are currently investigating the effect of high frequency vibrations during the growth of engineered cartilage, ligament, meniscus and the intervertebral disc.

Cell and tissue stimulation device (Mach-1 ) to study the effects of:

• compressive forces
• shearing forces
• multi-axial forces