DLCHHB · Artificial Tissue Actuators by the 3D Printing of Responsive Hydrogels
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2015-07-01 → 2017-12-31
- EU contribution
- €226,825
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-GF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Artificial Tissue Actuators by the 3D Printing of Responsive Hydrogels
The controlled behaviour of chemical systems in response to external stimuli is ubiquitous in Nature and perceived as a key requirement for the bottom-up development of advanced functional materials. Progress in this exciting area has been hindered by a lack of scalable technologies for the fabrication of materials that will respond at the molecular level to produce useful mechanical motion at the macroscale. Such technologies could find application in a variety of healthcare intensive applications, such as in regenerative medicine, drug-delivery or as responsive artificial tissue scaffolds. The overall aim of this project was to prepare artificial tissue-like materials that can achieve stimulus-responsive chemo-mechanical actuation. Technology developed by Prof. Bayley, University of Oxford, has enabled the 3D printing of lipid-stabilised droplet networks. Exploiting this technology in collaboration with Prof. Hawker at the Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, a range of responsive droplet networks were prepared that exhibited a reversible shape or volume change. The project has achieved most of its objectives and milestones for the period, with relatively minor deviations. Overall, Dr Lunn has become significantly more skilled throughout the duration of the fellowship, gaining experience in interdisciplinary research, knowledge transfer and scientific communication.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
This proposal describes the 3D printing of hydrogel droplet networks to prepare artificial tissue-like materials that demonstrate stimulus-responsive chemo-mechanical actuation. A recent breakthrough by Prof. Bayley’s research group has enabled the 3D printing of self-supporting droplet networks which can be functionalised to allow rapid electrical and molecular communication along a specific path. As a result of this, an opportunity now exists to prepare tissue-like materials that can perform mechanical work in response to external stimuli. By printing biocompatible and responsive polymer hydrogels into droplet networks, artificial muscles will be prepared that display specific and well-defined motion. The resulting technology will be of great importance for a variety of biomaterial applications, with future European Union (EU) industrial growth as well as the public ultimately benefiting from progress in this area.This proposal is inherently multi- and interdisciplinary, involving aspects of synthetic chemistry, polymer chemistry, materials science, chemical biology and biophysics. The different expertise of Prof. Hawker, University of California, Santa Barbara (hydrogels, responsive polymers and biocompatible materials), and Prof. Bayley, University of Oxford (3D printing of artificial tissue, lipid bilayers and membrane proteins), are ideally suited for the successful completion of the proposed research objectives. Due to his prior experience and track record, the experienced researcher, Dr. Lunn, will be able to effectively drive the progression and dissemination of the proposed research. Ultimately, this project will allow one of the United Kingdom's top young researchers to spend time at one of the highest ranked materials research institutes in the world, and transfer the knowledge back to the EU via the University of Oxford. After the fellowship, Dr. Lunn will use the knowledge and skills acquired to obtain an independent academic position within the EU.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD · OxfordCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
- THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA · OaklandUnited States
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union