# Integrative Approaches for the Study of the Fluidic Cellular Microenvironment

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2021 · $375,264

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The overall objective of my research program is to define fluid as an integral component of the cellular
microenvironment and to better understand how movement of fluid in the microenvironment impacts cell and
tissue processes. My laboratory employs a multidisciplinary approach merging microfabrication techniques and
microfluidic devices, computational fluid dynamics, and cellular and molecular biology to define the mechanisms
by which cells sense and respond to fluid flow. We are specifically interested in how forces from moving fluids
impact cell adhesion and effector signaling, and to further our overall goals, we have identified three specific
interests: (1) resolving the forces that moving fluids impart on cells, (2) identifying the molecular machinery that
transduces these forces into biological responses, and (3) determining how molecular scale transduction is
coordinated into a tissue scale response. While my training focused on understanding fluid flow and transport in
cancer and the vasculature, my independent research laboratory seeks to focus on tissues and processes in
which the effects of fluid transport are not as well defined, with an emphasis on development and morphogenesis.
In line with these objectives, over the next five years, the specific goals of my research laboratory are to: (1)
engineer cell surface receptors to better understand how the highly conserved Notch family receptors sense fluid
flow, (2) map forces and cellular responses to flow through porous media by developing novel, integrated
microfluidic and computational approaches, (3) develop a new class of microfluidic devices to recapitulate the
native microenvironment using human-derived cells and matrix. The results of this research and the integration
of the enabling technologies will contribute to the overall objectives of my research program of defining the scope
and general principles of fluid forces in the cellular microenvironment, illuminating the mechanisms by which
cells respond to these forces, and providing new tools for broader application among the mechanotransduction
community. Furthermore, the technology developed within this proposal will form the basis for developing future
disease models for mechanistic and translational applications.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10276216
- **Project number:** 1R35GM142944-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** William J Polacheck
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $375,264
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-23 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10276216

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10276216, Integrative Approaches for the Study of the Fluidic Cellular Microenvironment (1R35GM142944-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10276216. Licensed CC0.

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