Abraham Stroock
Cornell University, USA

Presentation: "Microvascular Structure and Function in Vitro"

Vascular structure - a network of convective paths - is a ubiquitous element in multicellular, living systems. The key function of vascular structure in animals and plants is mediation of convective mass transfer over macroscopic distances; this transfer allows an organism to monitor and control the chemical state of its tissues. In our laboratory, we are developing methods to embed and operate microfluidic systems within tissue-like materials in order to capture this function for both biological and non-biological applications. I will present two examples to illustrate our efforts: 1) Capillary beds for the culture of mammalian cells in three-dimensions. In this section, I will discuss the development of methods both to fabricate synthetic capillary beds and to grow them directly out of endothelial cells. I will highlight how simple ideas from continuum mechanics and colloid science have guided our efforts. 2) Synthetic xylem networks that allow for the transpiration of water at large negative pressures. I will point out the unusual thermodynamic and transport phenomena that are involved in the transpiration process in plants. I will then present our perspectives on the design criteria for systems - synthetic and biological - that mediate this process. Finally, I will describe our experiments with “synthetic trees” in which we have reproduced the main features of transpiration. I will conclude with perspectives on applications and generalizations of both these classes of vascularized materials.

Biography:
After completing a bachelor’s degree in Physics at Cornell, Abraham Stroock spent two years in France. There, he worked in the research division of Electricite de France and completed a master’s degree at the University of Paris VI and XI in Solid State Physics. He then returned to the US to pursue a PhD in the Chemistry department at Harvard University with George Whitesides. In the winter of 2003, he joined the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University as an Assistant Professor. He is the recipient of the Henry and Camille Dreyfus New faculty award (2003), the North American Mixing Forum Start-Up Award (2003), the Office of Naval Research’s Young Investigator award (2004), the 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award (2006), the Beckman Foundation Young Investigator Award (2006), MIT Technology Review’s TR35 list of top innovators under 35 (2007), and the NSF CAREER Award (2008).

Research interests. In our research effort, we couple deterministic micro and nano-scale structure with physical principles to create new phenomena and technologies. As an integral part of this effort, we build conceptual foundations for these developments in order to direct our experimentation and establish engineering principles for future applications. With this spirit, we are pursuing three themes of research that allow us to address both timely technological challenges in microchemical technology, medicine, and materials development, and timeless questions in transport phenomena, biology, and chemical thermodynamics.