ESR 3 - Silvia Tea Calzuola
Project: Development of a microfluidic perfusion-station (gut-on-a-chip)
Nationality: Italian
Supervisor / Co-Supervisor: Dr. Giorgia Celetti, Dr. Jean-Baptiste Blondé / Dr. Christiane Frahm
Host Organisation: Eden Tech (EDEN), France
I come from Italy and I am a young and passionate biomedical engineer, specialized in tissue engineering and biotechnologies, looking forward to contributing to medical and biological research.
What is your project/research about? What would you like to find out?
My project regards the development of a microfluidic bioreactor capable of coupling high-resolution microscopy with live-cell analysis to create a state-of-the-art technique for deciphering basic cellular mechanisms. This device will be used to investigate the interaction between gut cells and neural cells, in the context of the ageing body. This “gut-on-chip” tool will integrate the observation of living cells on a microscope with control over environmental parameters such as temperature, flow rate, nutrients and inflammation to analyse immediate and long term physiological effects. Here, the living intestinal epithelium (mice and humans) will be analysed by modifying several factors: co-culture with commensal microbes (useful and harmful ones) and immune cells, flow rate pattern (mimicked peristalsis), temperature and also after addition of metformin and oat ß-glucans. The ultimate objective of this study is the development of a micro-engineered model that mimics the features of an aged gut (increased inflammation, decreased peristalsis) to test our interventions with respect to gut permeability and inflammaging.
Why did you apply for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie ITN and especially this project?
Marie Skłodowska-Curie ITN it is an excellent means to foster research cooperation across borders, sectors and disciplines as well as an excellent opportunity for me to enlarge my knowledge, my skills and my professional network and to boost my career. In particular, I chose the SmartAge ITN and the ESR3 project because during my master thesis I had the chance to discover microfluidics, I was fascinated by its potential and I wanted to explore this field with a long-term research project. Moreover, carrying out my PhD in an entrepreneurial and dynamic context as Eden Tech represents for me a big added value to the project.
What is so fascinating for you on research in general?
Since I was a child I have always been extremely curious, always asking “why?” about everything. Growing up, I realized that research is the means to answer all the unsolved questions. The idea of generating new knowledge that could hopefully improve people’s health is what fascinates me about research and is the driving force of my scientific career.
What do you do in your free time? Do you have special interests/hobbies?
I am an animal lover, I like every kind of animal and during my years in Milan I spent part of my free time volunteering in an animal shelter, and those pets helped my mood as much as I helped them. Then I love to travel and explore new places, whether as a trekking in nature or as a weekend visiting a new city.
What are your plans for your future? Where/what you will be in 5 years?
For the moment I aim to live these years to the maximum and to exploit every opportunity for professional and personal growth. Once I achieve my PhD, I would like to keep working in biomedical research developing my career in an industrial environment as Research & Development or Research & Innovation biomedical engineer.