Adaptive microCT scanning to guide scaffold development in tissue engineering
Project ID: 2228cd1314 (You will need this ID for your application)
Research Theme: Engineering
UCL Lead department: Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering
Lead Supervisor: Charlotte Hagen
Project Summary:
The project’s overarching aim is to harness the capabilities of multi-resolution and multi-contrast microCT for advancing the field of tissue engineering.
Tissue engineering, aimed at developing “lab-grown” organs and tissue by combining appropriate scaffolds and cells, could solve one of the biggest medical problems of our times, the shortage of donor organs. While the pool of scaffold materials is large, there is consensus that the extracellular matrix (ECM), derived from cadaver tissue through decellularisation, is an excellent choice as it possesses native structural and biomechanical properties. Imaging, for assessing the ECM, is extremely important for developing decellularisation methods that are gentle but effective.
microCT, an x-ray imaging technology that provides 3D images of cm scale samples non-destructively, has undergone transformative developments in recent years. UCL’s Advanced X-Ray Imaging (AXIm) group has developed a scanner with multi-resolution and multi-contrast capabilities, perfectly suited to studying the multi-level structure of ECMs.
The PhD candidate will develop methods for applying these new functionalities adaptively, by performing a scout scan of an ECM before locally zooming in to specific areas at a higher resolution and contrast. They will derive image-based indicators for “triggering” such adaptive scans, based on a scattering signal that relates to sub-resolution structures, or by using deep learning to understand how small but important features manifest in a low-quality scout image. They will then apply their methods to study ECMs of several organs and tissues. The results will critically inform the processes by which ECMs are derived and, ultimately, feed into advanced R&D in this important area.
The candidate will be based within AXIm, where they will receive extensive training in all technical elements of the project. They will also spend time at The Crick, to learn about tissue engineering methods and thereby obtain a deep understanding of the project’s multi-disciplinary nature.