
NSF Org: |
CMMI Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation |
Recipient: |
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Initial Amendment Date: | February 6, 2018 |
Latest Amendment Date: | February 6, 2018 |
Award Number: | 1751050 |
Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
Program Manager: |
Wendy C. Crone
CMMI Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation ENG Directorate for Engineering |
Start Date: | July 1, 2018 |
End Date: | June 30, 2024 (Estimated) |
Total Intended Award Amount: | $500,000.00 |
Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $500,000.00 |
Funds Obligated to Date: |
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History of Investigator: |
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Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
6823 SAINT CHARLES AVE NEW ORLEANS LA US 70118-5665 (504)865-4000 |
Sponsor Congressional District: |
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Primary Place of Performance: |
1324 Tulane Avenue New Orleans LA US 70112-2604 |
Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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Parent UEI: |
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NSF Program(s): |
CAREER: FACULTY EARLY CAR DEV, BMMB-Biomech & Mechanobiology |
Primary Program Source: |
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Program Reference Code(s): |
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Program Element Code(s): |
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Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.041 |
ABSTRACT
This Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) project will support an integrated research and education program to determine the role of elastic fibers in the soft tissues of the female reproductive system. Elastic fibers are present in most soft biological tissues and are critical to tissue function. Loss of elastic fibers may contribute to significant health problems of the female pelvic floor and lead to preterm birth and pelvic organ prolapse. This project will develop a computer model that can predict how elastic fibers in the soft tissues of the female reproductive system change in response to mechanical pressure. This will help to advance health by determining causes for changes in the tissue properties during pregnancy and during other normal events that change tissue mechanical pressure. The knowledge and new computer modeling tools could also be used to understand how other soft tissues containing elastic fibers such as the lungs, blood vessels, skin, and the digestive system change as the result of applied mechanical pressure. Research findings from this project will be incorporated into a mobile telephone game, teaching modules for K-12 education and into undergraduate and graduate biomedical engineering courses.
An experimentally-validated computational model will be used to determine why and how elastic fibers influence mechanobiological adaptations in biological tissues. This will be accomplished by: 1) Determining the role of elastic fibers in evolving biaxial mechanical properties and contractility in cervovaginal tissue in response to altered loads in situ using a mechanical loading tissue culture system; 2) Formulating a biomechanical growth and remodeling model that describes cervovaginal mechanical properties, contractility, and extracellular matrix composition with and without compromised elastic fibers; and 3) Validating the model by predicting the key features of cervovaginal adaptations in response to altered mechanical loading.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The primary outcome of this project was to better understand how elastic fibers, an important protein in biological soft tissues, contributes to how tissues resist changes in shape while being subjected to loads in the human body. For example, pressures within the abdominal region change throughout the day and during physiologic events such as pregnancy. In this project, we characterized how disruption of elastic fibers changed the shape and resistance to biomechanical loads in the mouse cervix and vagina. To accomplish this, we developed engineering biomechanics tools to measure both contractile and non-contractile properties in the cervix and vagina while keeping their original shape. In both organs, we demonstrated that disruptions or malformation of elastic fibers significantly affect the structural integrity and ability of these organs to resist changes in shape under biomechanical pressures. Interestingly, we identified that disruption of elastic fibers causes different results in the cervix and vagina despite their close proximity and coordinated functions during pregnancy. In the vagina, we identified a larger resistance to changes in shape (increased stiffness) following elastic fiber disruption, whereas in the cervix, stiffness decreased. We also showed that disrupted elastic fiber formation decreased contractile behavior of the smooth muscle cells in both the vagina and cervix. Results from these studies could improve the development of diagnostic and therapeutic methods for health issues involving the vagina and the cervix such as pelvic organ prolapse or preterm birth.
As for our broader impacts outside of the laboratory, our group led workshops on tissue engineering at Girls in STEM at Tulane and Boys at Tulane in STEM. These workshops were geared towards increasing enthusiasm for and interest in STEM education and careers. Emphasis was placed on providing opportunities for underrepresented minorities and girls to meet and work with role models in engineering. The workshops included a short lecture about engineering design principles and biological applications, followed by hands-on activities to encourage creativity and critical thinking. Participants were surveyed before and after the workshop and we quantified increased science identity and role model identity. Altogether, the workshops improved general public knowledge of biomedical engineering, engineering applications, and attitudes toward identifying as a scientist. Furthermore, women’s reproductive health has historically been underfunded and understudied. As such, there is a general lack of understanding of how different proteins and cells contribute to vaginal and cervical structural stability. This leads to controversial and ineffective treatments and interventions for common conditions such as pelvic organ prolapse and preterm birth. The methods and results from this project are expected to serve as the foundation for future studies to inform efforts first to better understand the causes of pelvic floor and pregnancy-related disorders and second to guide targeted research efforts in treating such disorders.
Last Modified: 10/04/2024
Modified by: Kristin S Miller
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