Design of tissue engineering bioreactors using Magnetic resonance imaging and two photon microscopy

Proposed here, is a study of bioreactor design using cultures of rat liver cells which were chosen for ease of handling, safety and their ability to regenerate quickly over short periods of time. This will be done across two length scales. Firstly, Two-Photon Microscopy (TPM) will be used to study the impact of bioreactor design on the cellular interactions and growth on a submicron length scale. Secondly, the hydrodynamics of the bioreactors and its impact on the tissue will be studied on the micron scale using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Both these techniques are non-invasive and allow for the bioreactor to be studied in-situ. I believe that using a combination of the two techniques will allow the necessary information on the chemistry, physics and biology characterising these systems, over the hierarchy of length scales relevant to reactor design, to be obtained for the first time.Throughout the course of this project, my current expertise in MRI and chemical engineering will be complemented by the new skills I will learn in tissue engineering and two photon microscopy. The synergy of these skills and techniques will be the basis for detailed hydrodynamic studies, optimisation and scale-up.