The Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning / McGill University
Vascular simulator for variable gravity mechanobiology — The objective of this proposal is to design and test a vascular simulator for variable gravity mechanobiology to be used in future space missions. It will build upon a portable vascular simulator used to study the impact of variable gravity in a parabolic flight campaign of the carotid bifurcation. The simulator is being designed to study fundamental knowledge gaps in the biomechanics and mechanobiology of vascular adaptation and deconditioning. The vascular cell culture simulator will be used to expose human endothelial cells, blood cells and blood components to fluid and tissue stresses created during space flight to identify cellular response, adaptation and blood/drug interactions. The simulator will advance the development and testing of new countermeasures to limit cardiovascular risk in space flight. The vascular simulator developed will provide a platform to help answer specific research questions associated with endothelial cell response, inflammation and thrombosis formation.