2023-24-project-catalogue

###Developing a microfluidics kidney on a chip model for chronic kidney disease

Project ID: 2228bd1090 (You will need this ID for your application)

Research Theme: Healthcare Technologies

UCL Lead department: Division of Surgery and Interventional Sciences

Department Website

Lead Supervisor: Ashleigh Boyd

Project Summary:

Microfluidic culture systems, enable cells to be cultured in a highly controlled environment using small amounts of liquid, the size of which can be tailored by varying their size from the submillimetric to submicrometric, designed to recapitulate tissue function in vitro. Regenerative medicine, using microfluidics platforms and stem cell research, has the potential to revolutionise clinical therapies for diseases such as diabetes and other debilitating diseases caused by ageing, tissue damage or organ failure. The applications of this technology are far reaching, offering new opportunities for drug screening and toxicity testing, tissue engineering, and also disease modelling.

Here, we propose that you will develop a novel microfluidic system for the 3D culture of human stem cell derived miniature kidney structures called organoids. You will work alongside bioengineers and stem cell biologists to learn the skills to generate a microfluidic platform that will be used to culture human renal organoids with the ultimate aim of using the system to model chronic kidney disease (CKD); a condition which leads to renal failure and affects over 8% of the population worldwide.