Description of the thesis topic

The project aims to develop an organ-on-chip instrumentation platform to reproduce and understand molecular exchanges in biological tissues. In the human body, the blood vascular network supplies nutrients and oxygen to tissues, while the lymphatic network removes metabolic waste, establishing a chemical and physical balance essential for tissue function. This balance has notably been modeled by Starling's principle, which is based on the combined effects of hydrodynamic and osmotic flows. Although revised to include lymphatic recirculation, Starling's principle remains difficult to characterize using in vivo measurements. Organ-on-chip systems, which enable the creation of blood or lymphatic vascular networks, offer an unprecedented solution for understanding and measuring the exchange of analytes and colloids in our tissues. It is this opportunity that we wish to exploit in this thesis, funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR).
By bringing together a consortium involving organ-on-chip system engineers (LAAS-CNRS), biochemists specializing in the extracellular matrix (SoftMat), and experts in vascular biology on chip (University of Tokyo), we aim to develop and instrument an organ-on-chip platform for interstitial transport. This will combine microfluidic tools, optical imaging, and finite element modeling of flows in poroelastic media. The tasks will involve setting up the measurement instrument, integrating self-assembled extracellular matrices, and performing microfluidic instrumentation measurements to understand and modulate this interstitial transport.
To carry out these missions, we are looking for a candidate (M/F) with a background in physics or technology, and an interest in interdisciplinary topics at the interface of biology, biotechnology, and the physicochemical properties of biological matrices.

Work Context

The work will be carried out at LAAS-CNRS, a laboratory specializing in micro and nanofabrication (part of the RENATECH network), with a dedicated biotechnology department (MNBT). The host team, MILE, specializes in microfluidic instrumentation for the characterization and manipulation of biological objects. At LAAS, the candidate (M/F) will have access to fabrication platforms, including 3D printing, laser cutting, and microfabrication, for the production of devices. Experiments involving cellular systems will then be conducted within the biology platform. Furthermore, the project benefits from a collaborative network with a chemistry laboratory in Toulouse (SoftMat) and a vascular biology-on-chip laboratory (MatLab at the University of Tokyo).

The position is located in a sector under the protection of scientific and technical potential (PPST), and therefore requires, in accordance with the regulations, that your arrival is authorized by the competent authority of the MESR.

Constraints and risks

The project does not involve any specific risks beyond those typically associated with cell culture for organ-on-chip systems.