WHO WE ARE

Welcome to the Tissue Microenvironment and Mechanobiology Laboratory (PI: Christopher Raub, PhD) at the Catholic University of America! We are an academic research laboratory in Northeast Washington, D.C., that engages students in research at the undergraduate, Master's, and Ph.D. levels. We have an interdisciplinary focus and strong local and regional collaborations.

WHAT WE DO

Two connected focus areas drive work in the lab: 1) Biofabrication and tissue engineering/tissue-on-a-chip approaches to generate and answer hypotheses about the cancer microenvironment and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Ultimately we seek to identify microenvironmental determinants of tissue pathophysiology and therapeutic outcomes. 2) Innovative biophotonics and optical imaging instruments, including a dual-modality digital holographic and automated quantitative polarization microscope (with collaborator George Nehmetallah, EECS) and Mueller matrix reflectance imaging polarimeter. Broad collaborations also lead us into other fields (functional biomaterials, machine learning for signal and feature prediction in microscopy images).

The tissue microenvironment is the dynamic stage on which cells enact processes of development, remodeling, repair, and disease. We are interested in using engineering tools to provide greater control over cells and tissues in vitro, providing fundamental knowledge of cell interactions with the microenvironment to guide clinical applications and understand mechanisms of disease. Current funded efforts focus on developing a three-dimensional model of cancer extracellular matrix invasion, imaged by endogenous phase and birefringence signals; and development of a mucosa-on-a-chip model of chemotherapy-induced mucositis.

We employ a number of methods at the micro- and meso-scale, aiming to be as quantitative and precise as possible. These include various microscopy modalities, biofabrication and immunolabeling techniques. We enjoy collaborations with experts in microfluidics, cancer biology, immunology, and microbiology; and we develop advanced microscopy techniques that further our experimental reach. For more information about any aspect of the lab, please contact the Chris Raub using the information found on this page or the website of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at The Catholic University of America.