DC6: Endothelial organ-on-chip models for blood infection assessment

In this project, the PhD candidate will develop an organ-on-chip device to support the growth and stability of 3D human microvasculature to study pathogens responsible for blood infections, in particular ESKAPE pathogen Staphylococcus Aureus in collaboration with researchers at Lund University, Sweden. The humanised endothelial-on-chip model will be used to study bacterial adhesion, and host colonisation in blood vessels that mimic in vivo conditions, both in the biology and the biophysical flow characteristics. The candidate will study conditions in which pathogens adhere to host cells, and how colonisation progresses in real-time. The response of the host cells to infection will also be studied, and may shed light on new targets for therapeutic intervention. This project will align strongly with the 3Rs by developing advanced in vitro platforms towards the replacement of animal models in research.

Methods will include microfluidic design, fabrication and characterisation using a combination of microscopy, image analysis and flow analysis. Cell culture and advanced fluorescence microscopy to study 3D vasculature network formation and biological assays for assessing host cell interactions with pathogens.