Research

---

Our laboratory has developed several models that mimic different levels of brain blood vessel architecture spanning from capillary to artery scale. We use these models, which can be exposed to varying levels of fluid flow rate and pressures, to study how changes in blood flow affect the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, a term for decreased transport across blood vessels in the brain and spinal cord. Recently, we have begun to incorporate whole blood flow in 3D-printed models to better mimic the environment inside the body. We use techniques that include microparticle image velocimetry (microPIV) to characterize the blood flow and determine its effects on blood-endothelial interactions. We are also developing novel drag-reducing polymers to alter hemodynamics within 3D-printed vasculature.

Our laboratory has contributed to the development of a novel post-translational circuit, coupling synthetic phosphorylation networks with split fluorescent and luminescent proteins, denoted as SPN-FLUX (synthetic phosphorylation networks with fluorescence and luminescence expansion). This platform provides an avenue isolated from native kinetics by which inducible protein-protein interactions are utilized to study cells’ interactions with their environment. We propose these inducible protein interactions can be used to dictate response to mechanical forces applied to the matrix, with the goal of creating synthetic cells that have therapeutic potential in pathologies characterized by changes in central nervous system mechanics.