Aanya describes the SMUG platform in a special issue of Lab on a Chip

Aanya and colleagues report on new technology to measure vasoconstriction and vasodilation of arterial tissue. The platforms, based on previous work by UNC/NCSU BME colleague Dr. Wes Legant, consist of microfabricated cantilevers with known mechanical properties that can be used to quantitatively determine force generation by vascular smooth muscle cells. Aanya and colleagues in the Polacheck Lab had to develop an entirely new manufacturing protocol to tune the system appropriately for forces generated by SMCs. Interestingly, they found that when endothelial cells were mixed in with SMCs, the cells self-assembled into stratified tissues reminiscient of the arterial wall. Furthermore, they found that the ECs functionally communicated with SMCs to regulate SMC force generation and vascular tone. The work was generously supported by United Therapeutics. The article can be found here.