Tomo-SAXS: Imaging full-field molecular-to-macroscale biophysics of fibrous tissues

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.

The mechanics of the collagen fibrillar network in ageing cartilage

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

Graphene Flagship Core Project 3

This grant will cofund the establishing of a mini-CDT with 5 PhD studentships in Graphene materials at QMUL.

Correlating structural and proteomic techniques on cartilage

Fabrication of aligned nanofibrous gels through a vitrification process

This project will apply simple methods, self-assembly and vitrification, to fabricate nanofibrous hydrogels with controlled nanofibre alignment able to recreate the corneal stroma nano/microarchitectural organization.

Nanoscale damage markers for early osteoarthritis detection in the bone-cartilage unit

This project will discover the key damage and deformation processes initiated at the nanoscale in the bone-cartilage unit (BCU) tissue matrix during injurious mechanical loading. We will analyse the structural changes induced by injurious loads in the BCU, using multiscale X-ray imaging techniques combined with in situ mechanics and modelling.

Nanomechanics of Keloid Scar Tissue

Wound healing and hypertrophic scarring are affected by biomechanical forces in the extracellular matrix, but how structural alterations at the nano- and microscale are linked to mechanics is not clear. Here, we study the nanoscale mechanics of keloids (linked to hypertrophic scarring), using in situ SAXS with micromechanics.

Collagen nanomechanics in articular cartilage

Determining the depth-dependent relationship between the mechanical behaviour and the composition and structure of articular cartilage is crucial in understanding the changes that develop during osteoarthritic degradation. Currently, little is known as to how the networks of collagen fibrils contribute to the tissue’s mechanics, with the fibrils acting ...

Studentship Support

Heart Valve Structure and Mechanics

The EPSRC funded PhD project is interested in the mechanics of the aortic valve, as we try to determine how the structure tolerates extremely high deformations and rapid loading rates. By understanding the tissue structure throughout the hierarchy, we hope to establish the role of each structural component and how ...

Quantifying origins of bone fragility in metabolic bone disease

Devising accurate techniques to understand mechanisms of increased fragility in metabolic bone diseases like osteoporosis is a critically important need. Osteoporosis affects over 3 million people in the UK – it is the leading cause of hospital admission for women over 50. Current diagnostic techniques like dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), which measure …

Nanomechanical alterations in bone mechanical quality in hypophosphatemic rickets bone

Bone diseases such as rickets and osteoporosis cause significant reduction in bone quantity and quality, which leads to mechanical abnormalities. However, the precise ultrastructural mechanism by which altered bone quality affects mechanical properties is not clearly understood. In this project, the functional linkage between altered bone quality (reduced mineralization) and …

Multiscale modelling of the mechanics of biomineralized tissues

The inelastic deformability of the mineralized matrix in bones is critical to their high toughness, but the nanoscale mechanisms are incompletely understood. We track the fibrillar deformation of antler tissue during cyclic loading using in situ synchrotron small-angle X-ray diffraction (SAXD), finding that residual strain remains in the fibrils after …

Interaction of muscular forces with mineral nanostructure in intramembranously ossifying bones

Metabolic bone disorders like rickets are associated with altered in-vivo muscular force distributions on the skeletal system. During development, these altered forces can potentially alter the spatial and temporal dynamics of mineralized tissue formation, but the exact mechanisms are not known. We use position – resolved scanning small angle X-ray …