The European Research Council (ERC), the European Union organization that rewards talented scholars engaged in cutting-edge research, has awarded an ERC Starting Grant to Paola Occhetta, researcher and assistant professor at the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering of the Politecnico di Milano, for the EvOoC (Evolving Organs-on-Chip) project. Starting Grants are awarded to early-career researchers with highly promising scientific records and two to seven years of experience since completion of their doctorate.
The project, aims to develop intelligent and mechanically active "organs-on-chip". These will be used as platforms for identifying the base mechanisms involved in regeneration and degeneration of cardiac and musculoskeletal tissue. To achieve this goal, EvOoC is developing a miniaturised cell culture technology platform. Combining the principles of micro-fabrication, developmental biology, mechano-biology and artificial intelligence, EvOoC introduces revolutionary methods in tissue engineering and disease modelling, facilitating development of innovative translational strategies for tissue repair that are suited to numerous therapeutic applications.