Dr Isaac Liu, as a solo investigator, has received £211k from Leverhulme Trust to fund a three-year research project “Multiscale Biomechanical Investigation of Engineered Tissue”. This funding will provide a 3 year PDRA for the school to develop a new multi-scale (nano-, micro- and macroscopic) and multilevel (sub-cellular, cellular and tissue) biomechanical approach for the fabrication of the next-generation of engineered tissue. The expected outcomes, including the improvement of the elasticity of engineered tissues and better understanding of the biomechanical factors governing tissue regeneration, will be essential for regenerative medicine in order to meet the therapeutic needs of the increasingly aging population in the 21st century society.

In addition to this project, Dr. Liu, as a co-PI with Dr. Paul Square (LSS), has secured £80K from Diabetic UK Equipment Grant to purchase the first atomic force microscopy single-cell force spectroscopy for the university to study the functional role of cell-cell adhesion and membrane dynamics in diabetes adhesion.