Ciência sem Fronteiras (Science Without Borders)
DCU PhD Project Template:
**Please use one form per project**
Please complete & submit to your Head of School by Monday 16th July
PI name & contact details:
Dr. Caitríona Lally
School:
School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
Research Centre / group affiliation:
Centre for Medical Engineering Research (MedEng)
Research group / centre website:
Centre for Medical Engineering Research (MedEng)
PI website / link to CV:
https://www.dcu.ie/info/staff_member.php?id_no=1040
Brief summary of PI research / research group / centre activity (2 or 3 lines max):
Cardiovascular biomechanics, vascular tissue engineering, numerical modelling and
mechanobiology.
Title & brief description of PhD project (suitable for publication on web):
Title: Remodelling in a tissue engineered vascular scaffold; combined experimental and numerical study
The lab carries out extensive arterial tissue testing, vascular tissue engineering and numerical
modelling. Finite element models are used to investigate loads and vascular remodelling induced
by intravascular medical devices to optimise medical device designs. Mechanobiological models
are used to determine tissue level changes following known cell responses to mechanical stimuli.
Keywords: Vascular tissue engineering, mechanobiology, finite element, remodelling
Unique selling points of PhD project in DCU:
DCU projects should offer something that’s not available in Brazil – specific equipment, multi-disciplinarity,
aspects of structured programme, links with industry, placements, links with other research groups etc.
The project will involve use of an existing decellularisation protocol to create acellular vascular
tissue engineered scaffolds. The scaffold will be seeded with smooth muscle cells and cell
alignment, proliferation and collagen deposition monitored in response to controlled loading.
Fresh tissue will be used as a control. Small angle light scattering imaging will be used to quantify
collagen fibre alignment and numerical models will be developed to incorporate appropriate
mechanoregulatory rules to describe the collagen remodelling in response to load. These models
will be used to define the optimum loading regime to repopulate the tissue engineered scaffold
and yet prevent intimal hyperplasia.
Name & contact details for project queries, if different from PI named above: N/A
Please indicate the graduates of which disciplines that should apply:
Engineering and other technical areas
Ciência sem Fronteiras / Science Without Borders Priority Area:
Please indicate the specific programme priority area under which the proposed PhD project fits- choose only
one (tick box):
Engineering and other technological areas
X
Pure and Natural Sciences (e.g. mathematics, physics, chemistry)
Health and Biomedical Sciences
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
Aerospace
Pharmaceuticals
Oil, Gas and Coal
Renewable Energy
Minerals
Biotechnology
Nanotechnology and New Materials
Technology of prevention and remediation of natural disasters
Biodiversity and Bioprospection
Marine Sciences
Creative Industry
New technologies in constructive engineering
Please complete