FromAPS GUP:
Depending on the biological situation, cellular adhesion to interfaces is desirable or undesirable. For example, to correct a weakened and bulging section of an artery, called an aneurysm, an endograft, a cylindrical tube made of metal and fabric, is placed inside the artery to correct and direct blood flow away from the aneurysm. It is desirable for the endograft to strongly adhere to the arterial wall to prevent migration and leakage around the endograft. However, as blood flows through the endograft, it is undesirable for cells to stick to the interior of the endograft as that may block and prevent blood flow. The formation of biofilms on medical devices is another example of undesirable interfacial adhesion and the properties of a single microorganism does not translate to the properties of the biofilm. In order to optimize material properties of biomedical devices, knowledge of whether cells stick or not stick to these materials is crucially important. Our prior studies utilized neutron reflectometry to study dynamic changes in cell membrane-substrate separation in cell monolayers, where the separation length is a measure of adhesion strength [1]. However the limitations of neutrons (low intensity, long collection times, and narrow Qz range) make it difficult to model multi-layered systems with weak scattering. X-ray surface scattering provides a richer set of tools to probe the structure and interactions of cellular monolayers. The goal of this proposal is to build upon our experience with neutron scattering and model membrane x-ray diffraction and reflectivity to expand the techniques of x-ray scattering to a true living cellular system and gain insight to parameters important for the improved design of medical devices
From SurgBioMech 2022 Poster
The evolution of wrinkles and folds in arteries is sensitive to the collagen fiber reinforced structure of the arterial wall. Actuation of a surface from smooth to wrinkled induces topography-driven surface renewal that prevents foulant build-up.
Cell monolayer work
Patch delamination