£12,390,840
Division of Bioengineering
Research Projects
The following are current externally funded research projects taking place within the Division of Bioengineering at Queen Mary University of London. (The funding values represents the QMUL portion in multi centre grants)
Tomo-SAXS: Imaging full-field molecular-to-macroscale biophysics of fibrous tissuesPrincipal Investigator: Himadri GUPTA Funding source: EPSRC Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Start: 01-01-2021 / End: 25-10-2025 Amount: £451,556 This project will combine X-ray phase-contrast tomographic imaging and small-angle X-ray scattering to develop a path-breaking new technique - TomoSAXS – for the multiscale biophysics of tissues. We will develop advanced reconstruction algorithms to generate full-field 3D images of molecular to macroscale soft tissue structure, using the intervertebral disc as a prototypical organ. |
British Heart Foundation – 4 year Doctoral Training ProgrammePrincipal Investigator: Amrita Ahluwalia Co-investigator(s): David LEE Funding source: British Heart Foundation Start: 01-09-2017 / End: 31-08-2024 Amount: £2,300,000 Led by Professors Amrita Ahluwalia and Tim Warner and involving 23 named researchers, the BHF DTP Programme provides cohort training leading to a PhD in cardiovascular research. |
KTP with Lucideon: Cell testing to assist development of novel biomaterialsPrincipal Investigator: Karin HING Co-investigator(s): Simon RAWLINSON Funding source: Innovate UK Start: 17-02-2021 / End: 17-02-2024 Amount: £249,854 The aim of this programme is to transfer and embed knowledge of in vitro cell testing from QMUL to Lucideon to enable them to offer clients integrated physico-chemical and biological characterisation of materials used in medical devices & implants to improve the safety & efficacy of healthcare treatments. |
The regulation of mechanosensing in healthy and atherosclerotic VSMCPrincipal Investigator: Thomas ISKRATSCH Funding source: BHF British Heart Foundation Start: 01-12-2020 / End: 30-11-2023 Amount: £238,021 Vascular smooth muscle cellsplay a central role in the onset and progression of many cardiovascular diseases, from atherosclerosis to vascular injury, where their migration, matrix secretion, or degradation functions are deregulated. Here we are investigating how the phenotypic switch is regulated through physical/mechanical stimuli. |
A Biophysical Model of Gum Reintegration on enamelPrincipal Investigator: Julien GAUTROT Funding source: GSK GlaxoSmithKline UK Ltd Start: 01-10-2019 / End: 30-09-2023 Amount: £32,000 |
Organ-on-a-chip Centre of ExcellencePrincipal Investigator: Martin KNIGHT Co-investigator(s): Hazel SCREEN and Clare THOMPSON Funding source: Emulate Inc. Start: 20-08-2019 / End: 19-09-2023 Amount: £525,375 The QM-Emulate Organs-on-Chips Centre provides access to Emulate’s Organs-on-Chips technology to enable researchers to develop organ models of their design to expedite their experiments. Expert staff are on hand to support with training and use of the platform as well as pushing forward new organ-on-a-chip research projects led by Knight and Screen. The Centre also provides opportunities for collaboration with Emulate and support for commercialisation and translational impact. The centre is part of the new Centre for Predictive in vitro Models (CPM). Visit the web site to see full details of this and the new Emulate centre: https://www.cpm.qmul.ac.uk/emulate/ |
Targeting the innate immune system in high grade serous ovarian cancerPrincipal Investigator: Fran Balkwill Co-investigator(s): Olive Pearce, Daniellea Loessner, Michel Lockley, R Manchanda, Quezada S and Martin KNIGHT Funding source: CRUK Start: 01-10-2018 / End: 01-09-2023 Amount: £2,028,756 This 5-year CRUK Programme Grant is led by Prof Fran Balkwill from Barts Cancer Institute with a multidisciplinary team of co-investigators including Prof Martin Knight representing cancer bioengineering and mechanobiology. |
Molecular Manufacturing of Macroscopic Objects - fellowship Stoyan SmoukovPrincipal Investigator: Stoyan SMOUKOV Funding source: EPSRC Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Start: 01-09-2018 / End: 31-08-2023 Amount: £1,180,624 This interdisciplinary proposal proposes a molecular basis for Manufacturing for the Future,[a1] to grow many types of particles in a nature-inspired way. It offers scalability, near-full utilization of the material, and the ability to carry out transformations at near ambient conditions. Manufacturing in nature spans the scales from intricate ... |
Engineered Protein Nanosheets at Liquid-Liquid Interfaces for Stem Cell Expansion, Sorting and Tissue EngineeringPrincipal Investigator: Julien GAUTROT Funding source: EU Commission - Horizon 2020 Start: 01-09-2018 / End: 31-08-2023 Amount: £2,011,161 ProLiCell will design the biochemical and mechanical properties of extracellular matrix (ECM) protein nanosheets that can sustain the formation of adhesion protein complexes and support cell proliferation and culture on materials with very weak bulk mechanical properties (liquids). |
MICA: Organ-on-a-chip models for safety testing of regenerative medicine productsPrincipal Investigator: Hazel SCREEN Co-investigator(s): Martin KNIGHT Funding source: MRC Medical Research Council Start: 24-08-2020 / End: 23-08-2023 Amount: £504,557 We are building novel organ-on-a-chip models of our musculoskeletal tissues, to learn more about disease processes and how this might be managed with regenerative medicine approaches |
Organ-on-a-chip model of breast cancer bone metastasesPrincipal Investigator: Martin KNIGHT Co-investigator(s): Oliver PEARCE Funding source: CR-UK Cancer Research UK Start: 01-12-2020 / End: 31-05-2023 Amount: £268,711 Background A common site for invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC) metastasis is bone, affecting about 70% of patients. Once metastasis to bone has occurred the five-year survival rate drops from 99% to 29%. How breast cancer metastasises to bone is poorly understood, partly because of the lack of appropriate models. Organ-on-a-chip technology is … |
UKRMP2 Acellular / Smart MaterialsPrincipal Investigator: Alvaro MATA Funding source: MRC Medical Research Council Start: 06-04-2018 / End: 15-04-2023 Amount: £40,983 |
Investigating the cardiomyocyte rigidity sensing mechanism with micro patterned surfaces and nanopilPrincipal Investigator: Thomas ISKRATSCH Funding source: BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Start: 01-02-2019 / End: 31-03-2023 Amount: £490,545 The composition and the stiffness of the cardiac extracellular matrix change during development or in heart disease. Cardiomyocytes and their progenitors sense these changes, which decides over Cardiomyocyte fate. Our preliminary data suggested a cardiomyocyte specific rigidity sensing mechanism which we will investigate here in detail. |
Graphene Flagship Core Project 3Principal Investigator: James BUSFIELD Co-investigator(s): Nick DUGGAN, Yang HAO, Emiliano BILOTTI, Dimitrios PAPAGEORGIOU, Wei TAN, Colin CRICK, Han ZHANG, Himadri GUPTA and Nicola PUGNO Funding source: EU Commission - Horizon 2020 Start: 01-04-2020 / End: 31-03-2023 Amount: £376,501 This grant will cofund the establishing of a mini-CDT with 5 PhD studentships in Graphene materials at QMUL. |
Combined LAPS and SICM for multimodal live cell imagingPrincipal Investigator: Steffi KRAUSE Co-investigator(s): Wen WANG and Jon GORECKI Funding source: EPSRC Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Start: 01-09-2018 / End: 28-02-2023 Amount: £571,839 A novel instrument will be developed that will revolutionise the ability to monitor cellular processes and cell communication in polarised cells by simultaneously imaging cells apically and basally. This will provide information about apical cell morphology and basal ion concentrations and electrical signals such as cell surface charge and impedance. |
Emulate Organs-on-Chips Centre TechnicianPrincipal Investigator: Martin KNIGHT Co-investigator(s): Hazel SCREEN and Clare THOMPSON Funding source: Emulate Inc. Start: 01-01-2021 / End: 31-12-2022 Amount: £49,584 |
Body-Worn Sensor for Point-of-Care Vascular Access MonitoringPrincipal Investigator: Lei SU Funding source: EPSRC Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Start: 01-10-2021 / End: 31-12-2022 Amount: £378,651 In this project, we will develop a body-worn sensor for cardiovascular monitoring, particularly to address a long-standing clinical challenge in vascular access health surveillance. |
3D Photoelectrochemical Imaging in Porous Light-Addressable StructuresPrincipal Investigator: Steffi KRAUSE Co-investigator(s): Joe BRISCOE, Thomas ISKRATSCH and Bo ZHOU Funding source: EPSRC Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Start: 04-01-2021 / End: 03-10-2022 Amount: £202,248 The project aims to develop a photoelectrochemical imaging system for mapping of electrochemical processes in three dimensions within porous electrode structures. The new technology will aid the development of novel electrode materials for energy harvesting devices and be suitable for in-situ 3D functional imaging in 3D tissue culture. |
Protein Nanosheet-Stabilised Emulsions for Next Generation BiomanufacturingPrincipal Investigator: Julien GAUTROT Funding source: EU Commission - Horizon 2020 Start: 01-03-2021 / End: 31-08-2022 Amount: £120,000 |
The mechanics of the collagen fibrillar network in ageing cartilagePrincipal Investigator: Himadri GUPTA Co-investigator(s): Martin KNIGHT Funding source: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Start: 01-10-2017 / End: 30-06-2022 Amount: £369,875 We seek to understand how age-related changes in articular cartilage link to alterations in its nanoscale mechanics – and eventually to joint breakdown. We use high-brilliance synchrotron X-ray scattering to track fibrillar deformation dynamics in the matrix (hydrated proteoglycans restrained by collagen fibrils), combined with proteomics to assess compositional changes. https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FR003610%2F1 |