Description
- Abstract:
- Abstract of Microenvironmental Forces in Engineered Tissue Models, Prerna Chordiya, ScM, Brown University, May 2026 Microenvironmental mechanical forces are key regulators of cellular behavior, yet their origin and modulation within three-dimensional (3D) systems remain incompletely understood. In particular, the respective roles of cell-cell interactions and extracellular matrix (ECM) composition in governing these forces are not well defined. To address this, hypercompliant microparticles (HCMPs) were used to quantify microenvironmental mechanical parameters in two different models. First, the dog bone system to investigate microenvironmental forces in early musculoskeletal regeneration. And second, a cartilage spheroid model to evaluate changes in forces following enzymatic matrix degradation. Mechanical parameters such as pressure, volume, and elastic energy were analyzed to capture both system-level and sensor-level responses. The results indicate that while cellular interactions contribute to first-generation force production as seen in the dog bone model, the ECM is essential for stabilizing and modulating the mechanical microenvironment. Matrix degradation leads to measurable alterations in microenvironmental mechanical states, highlighting the role of ECM composition in regulating distribution. Together, this study provides a framework for directly measuring and interpreting microenvironmental forces in 3D systems, with implications for the disease modeling and tissue engineering.
- Notes:
- Thesis (Sc. M.)--Brown University, 2026
Citation
Chordiya, Prerna,
"Quantifying Microenvironmental Forces in Engineered Tissue Models"
(2026).
Biomedical Engineering Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:eqc7eny4/
Relations
Collection:
-
Biomedical Engineering Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations for the Biomedical Engineering department....