PI: Nandu Goswami
Focus: Research interests include the effects of various disorders - on the one hand in healthy humans, such as aging, space travel, prolonged bed rest or exercise, and on the other hand in diseases, such as lymphedema, preeclampsia, HIV, COVID-19, dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus - on the cardiovascular system. Another area of interest is the vascular system and how it is affected by chronic stimuli. The broad methodological spectrum used here includes noninvasive measurements of endothelial and vascular function as well as blood biomarkers related to endothelial function and blood coagulation in healthy subjects. Our studies are based on data collection in healthy volunteers as well as on patient data and different disease models.
Network: We collaborate closely with various partners within Med Uni Graz. These include research teams from the Division of Physiological Chemistry (Gerhard Cvirn: Coagulation; Karl Öttl: Plasma Proteins), the Division of Pharmacology (Gunter Marsche: Lipid Oxidation), the Diagnostic & Research Institute for Hygiene, Microbiology and Environmental Medicine (Harald Kessler: HIV and COVID-19), the Department of Internal Medicine (Harald Sourij: Diabetology; Regina Roller-Wirnsberger: Geriatrics; Martin Stradner: Rheumatology), the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Mila Cervar-Zivkovic: Preeclampsia), the Department of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy (Christian Fazekas: Resilience), and the Department of Psychiatry (Sabrina Mörkl: Depression).
Bioprinting in Space is one of the novel promising and perspective research directions in the rapidly emerging field of bio fabrication. There are several advantages of bioprinting in Space. First, under the conditions of microgravity, it is possible to bioprint constructs employing more fluidic channels and, thus, more biocompatible bio-inks. Second, microgravity conditions enable 3D bioprinting of tissue and organ constructs of more com plex geometries with voids, cavities, and tunnels. Third, a novel scaffold-free, label-free, and nozzle-free technology based on multi-levitation principles can be implemented under the condition of microgravity. The ideal Space bioprinters must be safe, automated, com pact, and user friendly. Thus, there are no doubts that systematic exploration of 3D bioprinting in Space will advance biofabrication and bioprinting technology per se. Vice versa 3D bioprinted tissues could be used to study pathophysiological biological phenomena when exposed to microgravity and cosmic radiation that will be useful on Earth to understand ageing conditioning of tissues, and in space for the crew of deep space manned missions.
In PULSE, we aim at developing a radical new bioprinting technology based on multiple levitation principles and to use Space as an accelerator of ageing on Earth. As a proof of concept study, we will use this newly developed bioprinting technology to create cardiac 3D in vitro models able to better mimic cardiac physiology compared to organoids. We will use such models to study cardiac ageing and test the efficacy of anti-inflammatory/ anti-oxidative drugs with anti-ageing potential.
Team: Goswami, Steuber, Schmid-Zalaudek
