Join an exciting interdisciplinary research team of biomedical engineers, prosthetists, physiotherapists, healthcare psychologists, social scientists and software engineers, who are developing a method of designing the bespoke prosthetic ‘socket’ interface between a person and their prosthetic limb, using artificial intelligence (AI) to interpret data from expert clinical designers. 

You will work primarily with academics at the University of Southampton (Dr Alex Dickinson, Dr Cheryl Metcalf, Dr Maggie Donovan-Hall and Dr Peter Worsley) on a project led by company partner Radii Devices Ltd (Dr Joshua Steer), with prosthetics service provider Opcare / Ability Matters Ltd.

Application deadline: Monday 28 February 2022

More information:

https://jobs.soton.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?ref=1700622DA&fbclid=IwAR1SKX7sFdqYbcG0_6nbBtzVteUZIWp9Ooul6aKXEwCwK6vtOmzS81hZBEE

The department of Cell Biology-Inspired Tissue Engineering (cBITE) at the MERLN Institute for Technology-inspired Regenerative Medicine at Maastricht University in the Netherlands invites applications for a post-doctoral position. The post-doctoral researcher will perform cutting-edge research in computational modeling methods applied to regenerative medicine and more specifically, to cell-matrix interactions.

Regenerative medicine (RM) holds the promise to cure many of what are now chronic patients, restoring health rather than protracting decline, bettering the lives of millions and at the same time preventing lifelong, expensive care processes: cure instead of care. The scientific community has made large steps in this direction over the past decade, however our understanding of the fundamentals of cell, tissue and organ regeneration and of how to stimulate and guide this with intelligent biomaterials in the human body is still in its infancy. To date, the RM field has focused on studying cell-biomaterial interactions. Materials properties such as elasticity, topography, hydrophobicity, and porosity have all been shown to influence cell fate, and the introduction of high-throughput combinatorial approaches is expediting research and decoupling the properties to further inform the design of biomaterials. However, in order to improve the design of synthetic biomaterials, it is crucial to understand the physiological cell-ECM interactions and how these influence cell behavior. This research project aims to use in silico models to simulate cell-ECM interactions, improve our fundamental understanding thereof and use the obtained knowledge to design improved synthetic matrices.

Project description:

• Computational modeling of integrin signaling, cell-ECM interaction to inform the design of synthetic matrices;
• Parameter optimization and sensitivity analysis;
• Analysis and integration of various in vitro/in vivo data for model calibration.

What we offer:

• Computational ecosystem at Maastricht University: Institute for Data Science (IDS), Department of Knowledge Engineering (DKE) and Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology (MacsBio);
• Excellent computational and experimental facilities to validate the in silico analyses and predictions in vitro/in vivo;
• Interdisciplinary environment within MERLN and the “Materials-driven regeneration (MDR)-consortium”

Project embedding:

The project will be coordinated by the MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine (http://merln.maastrichtuniversity.nl/) as part of the “Materials-driven regeneration (MDR)-consortium” (see http://www.mdrresearch.nl/ for more information) which brings together an interdisciplinary team of excellent scientists at three leading institutes (ICMS at Eindhoven University of Technology, RMU at Utrecht University and MERLN at Maastricht University). The central goal of MDR’s research program is to investigate, design and use intelligent biomaterials that drive the functional regeneration of living tissues and organs under complex (patho)physiological conditions.

More information:

https://www.academictransfer.com/en/309006/post-doctoral-position-for-the-project-computational-modeling-of-the-cell-matrix-interface-at-the-department-of-cell-biology-inspired-tissue-engineering-cbite-at-the-merln-institute/

For more detailed information you can contact: dr. A. Carlier, email a.carlier@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Do you have a strong technical background in experimental joint biomechanics with an interest in spine biomechanics? Would you like to work as part of a multidisciplinary institute to address a clinically-driven challenge?

We are looking for a proactive individual to join our team of researchers at the Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering at the University of Leeds, leading research on longer lasting joint replacements, tissue sparing interventions and biological scaffolds for tissue regeneration.

This role is created part of an EPSRC project aiming to characterise spinal facet joints biomechanics. In the UK, four out of five adults suffer from back pain at some point in their life, some of which require spinal fusion, an invasive intervention designed to stop the motion of the affected spinal area. After fusion however, facet joint degeneration can increase and create new symptoms and long term pain for one in four patients.

This project will develop novel testing methods and tools combining experimental and computational modelling to gain a better understanding of the degenerated facet joint biomechanics and how it changes following fusion. You will join a wider group developing in vitro and in silico preclinical models of musculoskeletal joints.

You will have a strong background in spine biomechanics or in experimental contact mechanics and have a proactive approach to working in an experimental and computational environment. You will join an institute that includes different expertise and substantial experience in supporting early stage researchers in a key phase of their career. We encourage an environment of collaboration, trust and wellbeing, which values difference of ideas and embraces diversity.

More info (job description and how to apply) available HERE
Contact: Marlène Mengoni

The Biomechanics and Impact Mechanics Laboratory (LBMC UMR_T9406) is a joint research unit of Gustave Eiffel University and Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University. Around forty permanent staff with complementary skills (solid, structural mechanics, surgeons etc.) work within the LBMC.

Based on societal challenges, the LBMC leads researches, on two research themes:

• Facilitating travel (automated vehicles, autonomous travel)
• Maintaining good health  (functional capacities, the repaired body: the implant in its environment).

The LBMC has a strong expertise in mechanical characterization of biological tissues. It is a member of the LabEx PRIMES and IMU, and co-leads the International Associated Laboratory (EVASYM) between Lyon and Montreal.
Statice, founded in 1978, has strong expertise in biomaterials and mechatronics, with applications in health field: medical devices and in-vitro diagnostic tools. Statice develops and produces innovative and customized implants and laboratory equipment in fields requiring advanced technologies such as cardiovascular, neurology, urology, oncology, ophthalmology, etc. Thanks to 30 staff members (PhD, engineers and technicians) and a mechanical and electronic workshop, Statice carries out around one hundred industrial projects per year. At the same time, its SRC label awarded by BPI-FRANCE/OSEO enables it to be involved in medium and long-term upstream research work. Statice is regularly an industrial partner in French and European research projects, to remain at the forefront of tomorrows technologies. Statice is thus recognized in Europe for its innovativeness.

The LBMC and Statice are involved in a new collaborative project supported by the France relance plan, with the aim of characterizing the microstructure and mechanical behavior of the tunica albuginea, and developing a biocompatible substitute produced by electrospinning. This collaboration also involves clinicians from the Urology Department of the Lyon Sud Hospital (Hospices Civils de Lyon). Within the framework of this project, the LBMC and Statice are recruiting a post-doctoral fellow for a period of 18 months.

The future employee tasks will be to:

• Develop experimental protocols for the characterization of the tunica albuginea, including the quantification of its microstructural arrangement and mechanical behavior, at LBMC,
• Plan and carry out a series of tests on tunica albuginea samples of cadaver or surgical origin, at the LBMC,
• Process data with the development of dedicated scripts, at the LBMC and Statice,
• Contribute to the definition of parameters for the development of prototype synthetic substitutes based on the knowledge acquired on tunica albuginea, at Statice,
• Contribute to the development of synthetic fibrous tissues by electrospinning, at Statice,
• Draft and present to the project stakeholders a mid-term and a final report,
• Write and present scientific papers.

The candidate should have strong skills in experimental characterization and analytical modelling of the mechanical behavior of soft fibrous tissues. He/she will preferably have experience in applying these skills to materials developed using electrospinning or biological materials. Soft skills and good communication skills will be appreciated.

The candidate will be recruited by the Gustave Eiffel University for 18 months. The salary and benefits associated with the position are defined by this institution.

During the whole contract, the candidate will work half of the time at LBMC in Bron (69-France) and the other half at Statice (25-France) according to a schedule to be defined.

To apply, please send simultaneously to Karine BRUYERE (karine-bruyere-garnier@univ-eiffel.fr), Laure-Lise GRAS (laure-lise.gras@univ-lyon1.fr), Melanie OTTENIO (melanie.ottenio@univ-lyon1.fr) and Hugues MONDESERT (h.mondesert@statice.com) and before 24 January 2022, a letter of motivation, a CV and contact information for a recommendation.