The Truskey Lab Group is interested in cardiovascular engineering, tissue engineering, stem cells, cell mechanics, cell-material interactions and cell adhesion. The current focus of the group is upon the development of human microphysiological systems to model normal and disease function in vitro. We have produced three-dimensional human skeletal muscle bundles that can be used to examine function, response to drugs and various disease states. These myobundles exhibit normal physiological responses to electrical stimulation and have a positive force-length relationship. We can modulate the extent of differentiation by manipulation of culture conditions and addition of microRNAs. We have prepared tissue engineered-blood vessels (TEBV) using human neonatal dermal fibroblasts, MSCs, or SMCs derived from iPSCs.
