Mechanotransduction for iPSC derived cardiomyocytes
Cyclical mechanical straining of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) can lead to their differentiation to cardiomyocytes. Constructed a novel electromechanical system to cyclically induce large strains (40%, 4x improvement).
Designed a monolithic PDMS membrane for nutrient medium containment and created a control system that enabled in situ cell stretching directly within a microscope.