Dr. Roshni Rainbow’s lab focuses on researching tissue development and tissue engineering. Researchers connected to the Regenerative Engineering Laboratory investigate the developmental processes by which biological tissues take shape as they mature towards their functioning adult form. The paradigm integrates stem cell biology, mechanotransduction, and biomaterials with a translational goal of developing regenerative cell-based therapies.
Insights into the biophysical environment of human tissue and how an individual’s tissue specifically responds to its stimuli can only be achieved through multidisciplinary approaches and the combination of computer simulations and physical experiments. The creation of advanced prevention and treatment strategies undeniably requires an understanding of their effects on the tissue structures of the body. Biomechanical models that replicate the physical and physiological behavior of tissue structures are an enabling technology for assessing this interaction. Dr. Ploeg and Dr. Rainbow have combined their expertise to research the biological processes responsible for tissue adaptation to mechanical and biochemical stimuli while providing a diverse training environment for students by drawing on skills from subfields of bioengineering, including cellular/tissue engineering, biomechanics, bioreactor design, computer modelling and biomaterials.
Biomechanical data on musculoskeletal alignment, kinematics and kinetics, and tissue density are commonly quantified with motion analysis and imaging tools; however, these data have yet to be combined into a simulation tool. This team of researchers have built a modular bioreactor for co-culturing musculoskeletal tissues as a platform for studying multiple mechanical and biochemical factor interactions of tissues during growth and adaptation. By combining ex vivo tissue culture experiments with computer simulations, this multidisciplinary approach will allow the PIs to quantify the cellular metabolic and morphological responses of tissues to mechanical and biochemical stimuli and use the data to develop computer algorithms to predict growth and adaption in tissues.
Ultimately the goals of this work are to understand tissue growth and adaptation to mechanical and biochemical stimuli, understand the role of neighbouring tissues during musculoskeletal morphogenesis, and establish technology that integrates these mechanisms to engineer functional load-bearing tissues and patient-centric treatment strategies. This will lead to the development of a tool that physicians can use for comprehensive clinical analyses, both pre and post treatment.