The Bioengineered 3D Microenvironments (BeMIC) Group at i3S develops innovative tissue engineering strategies for disease modelling and regenerative therapies. Key areas include:
1) designing molecularly-engineered hydrogels using (biorthogonal) chemistries to precisely control their bioactivity, mechanical properties, and network structure, enabling the replication of native ECM characteristics and matrix-guided modulation of cell behaviour;
2) developing diverse types of microtissues, such as cell-laden microparticles, spheroids, and organoids, as building blocks for bottom-up engineering of larger tissue constructs;
3) engineering functional/perfusable microvascular networks for therapeutic vascularization and in vitro modelling;
4) creating advanced 3D in vitro models, including organ-on-chip systems, that combine multiple cell types and ECM-like hydrogels to replicate different tissue compartments and study organ-level responses to stimuli, disease conditions, and pharmacological compounds.