Biological environments are often dynamic and spatially heterogeneous. Consider the tissues in our body, which have structural organization and experience complex forces when we simply take a step. Or the ground beneath our feet, where packed grains of soil introduce microscale features in the local environment, and properties like water content can change on time scales ranging from minutes to months or more. In real biological environments, life is not well-mixed, nor is it steady-state.
In The Muir Lab, we explore how cells and materials dynamically interact with biologically-relevant environments in space and time. We specialize in engineering hydrogel biomaterial platforms and bioprinting to design complex microenvironments that mimic biological systems. Combined with real-time imaging, material testing, modelling, and embracing a “maker culture”, we pursue innovative research at the intersection of biology, materials science, and engineering. Our work in engineering with cells and gels is inspired by grand challenges across biomedical and environmental applications, including tissue engineering, therapeutic delivery, biofabrication, and environmental microbiology. In our research pursuits, we also embark on journeys to design user-friendly, economical biomaterials research tools to expand access to biomaterials research and accelerate progress in the field.
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Cells on the move: How do cells (in particular, microbes) navigate complex biological environments, either independently or as a collective? What does this tell us about biomedical and environmental challenges involving microbes, such as treating infections or employing bioremediation strategies?
Biomaterials under pressure: How do biomechanical forces such as compression, tension, and shear influence the behavior of biomaterial therapeutics, particularly, for musculoskeletal tissue repair? How does this insight improve our design and translation of biomaterials therapies?
Host-pathogen interactions: How do the properties of the local environment, such as porosity, stiffness, and degradability, influence the dynamics of hosts and their pathogens? Currently, we are interested in how bacteria interact with the viruses that infect them, called bacteriophages, or phages for short, in complex environments. We apply this understanding to the translation of phage therapy – a promising effort to combat the large clinical challenge of antimicrobial-resistance.
