Nanorobotic microgels to control stem cell fate
| Title | Nanorobotic microgels to control stem cell fate |
|---|---|
| Acronym | uStemGel |
| Start date | 2024-11-01 |
| End date | 2029-10-31 |
| Sponsor | European Research Council - Starting Grant (ERC-StG) |
| Institution | Technische Universität München |
| Principal investigator | Berna Özkale Edelmann
E-Mail: berna.oezkale@tum.de |
Associated cell lines
Project Description
The infarcted heart is incapable of repairing itself, and there is a lack of therapies to regenerate damaged heart tissue. One promising approach is stem cell therapy to replace lost cardiac cells, which are unable to proliferate. Despite the immense potential of stem cell therapies, there are currently no approved treatments. A major challenge in the field is effectively controlling differentiation of human stem cells into distinct cell types. Regulating the differentiation process can be done by exploiting the mechanosensitive nature of stem cells, yet the exact process of how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces remains elusive. The goal of this project is to discover the underlying principles of mechanotransduction in human pluripotent stem cells, by developing and implementing an innovative cell culture platform that mechanically mimics the native tissue microenvironment. The µStemGel platform will facilitate rapid biomechanical perturbation of stem cells to identify the necessary set of signals to guide cell fate. By deciphering the role of mechanical forces on cell fate, this technology will play a crucial role in advancing cardiac regenerative therapies.