Epithelial cell sheets as engineering materials: mechanics, resilience and malleability

Project Information

EpiMech

Grant agreement ID: 681434

DOI

10.3030/681434

Project closed

EC signature date 27 May 2016

Start date 1 September 2016

End date 31 August 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 1 989 875,00

EU contribution

€ 1 989 875,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - EpiMech (Epithelial cell sheets as engineering materials: mechanics, resilience and malleability)

Reporting period: 2021-03-01 to 2022-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Epithelial tissues are cohesive layers of cells, which line free and internal surfaces in our body and perform crucial tasks such as protecting us against pathogens or desiccation, absorbing nutrients, secreting substances, or shaping a developing embryo. These living materials can thus perform multiple functions. They are subjected to enormous deformations, which they must withstand, and at the same time they need to be malleable to remodel when healing wounds or developing 3D structures. The premise of the project is that, if quantitatively understood and controlled, epithelial tissues could serve as living multifunctional engineering materials, capable of out-performing artificial counterparts in multiple applications. The goal of the project is to develop a quantitative understanding of how the rules that govern the behaviour of these living materials, and to use it to manipulate their shape and mechanical properties in such a way that their function can be optimized. This project will provide the background for new bionic technologies combining biological and artificial materials, to be applied in biomedicine or in other fields.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Towards the goals of the project, an interdisciplinary team has developed new methods to measure the forces within epithelial tissues, to control their shape in 3D in vitro, and new theoretical and computational models to understand and predict the dynamics and mechanics of cells and tissues.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Our project is identifying new rational, theory-based, strategies to manipulate epithelial tissues in vitro and control their shape in 3D, which will change the way we view these systems. In particular, our results will enable their use as engineering materials in bionic materials and devices.

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