Project description
Adopting a new technique for improved skin manufacturing
In recent years, a surge in interest in health sciences has led to a wide variety of technologies being researched, one of which is highly relevant to the field of regenerative medicine. A recent development in this field has to do with research focused on artificial skin in vitro, a key factor in the manufacture of which is the deposition of particle-laden coatings. Unfortunately, this sector has been facing problems as the manufacture of artificial skin is challenging. The EU-funded project COCONUTE aims to adapt the technique of dip-coating to overcome the challenges of current skin manufacturing technologies. Gaining new knowledge about the procedure will enable the creation of compound coatings that exhibit well-controlled arrangements of particles with physical properties that are similar to skin cells.
Objective
The deposition of particle-laden coatings is key to a number of modern technologies, ranging from semiconductor electronics to bioengineering. In the thriving field of regenerative medicine, deposition processes to manufacture artificial skin in vitro turn out to be particularly challenging. Because skin is composed of several layers with specific cell distributions, space-resolved deposition of cells has to be achieved to obtain viable tissues. However, the delicate nature of living cells and biomaterials strongly limits the number of available techniques, thereby hindering further advances in the field.
In this context, COCONUTE emerges as a timely and essential initiative to adapt a well-known technique, dip-coating, to meet the challenges posed by current skin manufacturing technologies. I will investigate, using theoretical and experimental tools, key unknown aspects of the physics of dip-coating in the presence of two liquids, which may have particles in suspension. Gaining further understanding of the physics, I will be able to create compound coatings exhibiting well-controlled arrangements of particles. These particles will have physical properties similar to skin cells to guarantee the applicability of the results to tissue-on-a-chip setups.
Not only the time to implement this project is now: the group and supervisors with whom I will carry out my research make a perfect ecosystem for me to turn the project into a success. Being a Soft Matter physicist by training, I will work in a group where fluid mechanicians collaborate routinely with experts in tissue engineering. Thus, the inherent multidisciplinary of the project will allow me to get training in the above-mentioned areas, while also sharing my expertise with the host group. This project will reinforce my chances of becoming an independent researcher in the fields of Soft Matter and Fluid Mechanics, with the focus on state-of-the-art bioengineering applications.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesphysical sciencescondensed matter physicssoft matter physics
- medical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologytissue engineering
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and films
- natural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicssemiconductivity
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
28903 Getafe (Madrid)
Spain