SBIR-STTR Award

This project will develop instrumentation for the application of controlled mechanical forces to plant and animal tissues growing in sterile culture and for the simultaneous measurement of tissue growth and deformation under load. This research instrument will be designed to facilitate the study of the biophysical controls that regulate the growth of structural tissues in both plants and animals. The working end of the instrument will consist of a glass culture vessel modified to incorporate a specially designed, sterilizable forcing-frame, which will be equipped with sensitive load-cells and displacement transducers that will continuously keep track of the applied load and the growth or deformation of the tissue. An external microprocessor-based control system will continuously monitor experimental variables and adjust them according to the needs of the experiment. This is an area of biological research that has not been adequately studied, largely because of the lack of an instrument system that is adaptable, versatile, and sensitive enough to work with delicate tissues in sterile culture. The requirements for such a system are severe and include sterilizability, smoothness of action, ability to work in tension as well as in compression, easy set up and breakdown, long-term stability, ability to apply cyclic as well as static loads, adaptability to a variety of tissues, chemical inertness, and measurement precision and accuracy.Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee:A potentially wide variety of applications are envisioned, ranging from botanical studies on cell wall orientation and growth under load to medical studies on the development of bone and connective tissues under load. Possible industrial applications include in vitro testing of drugs such as muscle relaxants and modifiers of bone calcium metabolism.

The development of improved forests and other sources of energy from biomass requires an understanding of basic plant growth processes. This project involves the development of instrumentation for the application of controlled mechanical forces to plant tissues growing in sterile culture, and the simultaneous measurement of tissue growth and deformation under load. Specifically, the instrumentation will be applied to understanding the biophysical controls that regulate and modify the development of plant tissues and other structural tissues such as bone, tendon, and cartilage. Phase I of this project has shown that the basic forcing6fi-ame and load-cell arrangement can be adapted to microprocessor control. A prototype control system was constructed that translates the analog output of the forcing-frame into digital form and uses that information to regulate the applied load through an actuator of proprietary design. Further, in Phase I the existing forcing-frame design was retrofitted to incorporate an "LVDT" growth measurement capability, to interface it with the microprocessor. Phase II will approach the integration of these basic capabilities into a market-ready instrument. First, the basic software will be developed and circuits designed; then, the performance of the hardware will be modified and improved. Together, these will be incorporated into a unified package emphasizing experimental versatility and ease of set-up and breakdown. Commitments for follow-on funding are in place.Anticapated Results Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee:It is anticipated that an integrated instrument will be developed that will provide the experimenter with the ability to approach questions of developmental control of structural tissues that are presently beyond the reach of experimental science. There is considerable commercial interest in this system, especially in the medical community, and Phase 11 may result in the development of this instrument system to the point that it is ready for introduction into the market.