Almost all tissues are subject to physical and environmental forces. These tissues, in response, adapt and remodel to accommodate these forces. Two prime examples are blood vessels and bone. The former respond to the fluid shear and pressure of blood flow by adapting vessel diameter and undergoing wall remodelling. The latter responds to the stress, pressure and interstitial fluid flow due to mechanical loading by adapting and remodelling bone tissues. Using cell culture techniques, the Principal Investigator's (PI) research efforts have focussed on understanding the nature and the specific mechanisms of tissue response to physical forces. Having laid down the foundation in terms of techniques and understanding of the force-cell interactions, the PI proposes to engineer force bearing tissues such as bone and cartilage. The overall objective is to develop several types of scaffolding materials (collagen, bioerodable polymers, and hydrogels) as the structural framework for bone and cartilage induction to be used as implants and grafts.
