This project will investigate the physics of blood clotting. It will elucidate the role of platelet forces and viscoelasticity during clot formation and will establish a translational tool that can generate biomechanical-specific data on platelets. The project will enable a greater understanding of the coagulation process beyond the classical coagulation cascade. It will not only advance the fields of hemostasis and thrombosis, but also biomechanics, nanomaterials, and nanomagnetics. The educational plan focuses on integrating research concepts into courses on biomechanics at the awardee's institution as well as organizing K-12 and undergraduate outreach events that focus on research opportunities. The research and educational plans provide training experience for future generations in nanoscale biomechanics and biotechnology by involving graduate students and undergraduate students in the research.
The research objective of this award is to develop a microfluidic platform that can test the biomechanical properties of platelets and measure their contractile forces during clotting. Platelets are the smallest cells in the human body, but are indispensable in hemostasis. In clot formation, the platelet cytoskeleton is necessary for changing cell shape and for producing actin-myosin forces. The first task of this award will work to fabricate strong magnetic nanowires by increasing the size and improving the composition of the nanowires. The second task will work to embed nanowires into microposts inside a microfluidic device so that an external magnetic field can be used to apply forces to platelets. The third task will work to build nanoscale magnetometers underneath each magnetic micropost to measure their deflection by platelet forces.
