First Prize -- Elisabeth Gill: Suspending Patterns (IMAGE)
Caption
"This macro photo depicts complex fibrous architectures that can be designed with the 3D printing electrospinning method I developed for my Ph.D.
"Being able to design free-spanning protein fibers is of interest for tissue engineering as they can act as simplistic template for cells to assemble into tissue-like structures. We have utilized such structures to observe the migration of cancer cells in 3D which models aspects of the environment they encounter in the body.
"A motivation is to develop such models further for fundamental cancer research or as a drug screening application.
"3D printed support pillars and applied voltage are used to pattern suspended gelatin microfibers with a technique called low voltage electrospinning patterning. A dye called fluorescein was added to the gelatin solution to draw the eye to the fine fibrous network, it excites under blue light. Extension tubes were used to attain focus on the small details."
Credit
Elisabeth Gill
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Credit: Elisabeth Gill
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