Welcome to the Mahler Lab!
Welcome to the Mahler Lab! We use microfluidics, 3D scaffolds, and computational simulations to create physiologically-relevant models of organs and tissues. The goal of our work is understanding how disruptions in a tissue's local mechanical environment can lead to changes in cell phenotype and disease initiation and progression. We replicate cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions to better understand how cells behave in diseased conditions and respond to chemicals or drugs. Our current research has applications towards cardiovascular and kidney diseases, cancer, and gastrointestinal health.
Our Main Areas of Research
Endothelial to Mesenchymal Transformation Mechanobiology
This project focuses on identifying the role of mechanobiology on endothelial to mesenchymal
transformation (EndMT)-derived myofibroblast behavior. Read more...
In Vitro Gastrointestinal Tract
This project studies how a broad class of nanomaterials interact with the human body
and test the interactions between consumed materials, the microbiota, and human gastrointestinal
(GI) cells. Read more...
Kidney on a chip
This project aims to create a physiologically realistic in vitro model of the proximal
tubule and glomerulus that allows for a close approximation of the in vivo renal environment
and provides an accurate, low-cost platform for testing new drug candidates. Read more...
