Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

The requested equipment will create a new multi-user facility and allow us to expand our current research  and make new advances in determining properties of biological tissues -bone, cartilage, prostate- and biomaterials at the microscopic level. It will be used to support our graduate programs in Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Computing Science. The requested equipment consists in a) a mechanical system to test small biological samples (Biosyntech Micromechanical System A400.25) and b) a microscope to dissect and prepare the samples and well as examine them. The research programs that will be using the requested equipment are: a) Mechanical characterization of bone tissue: the objective is to investigate the relationships between bone microstructure, tissue properties and strength for better fracture prediction and treatment. b) Tissue engineering: one of the examples of this research has a specific focus on the effects of mechanical stimulation to enhance the synthesis and subsequent properties of developed cartilage tissue. c) Characterization of prostate tissues:  The objective of this research is to develop a scientific basis for better diagnosis techniques of prostate cancer. Specifically, the differences of cell geometry and topology between cancerous and normal tissue within the prostate are examined.