Speaker
Description
Disruption of the microvascular barrier is a hallmark of severe haemorrhagic diseases such as Dengue, while the mechanisms leading to acute vascular leakage and hypovolaemic shock remain incompletely understood. We are developing a cell-based digital twin of 3D microvascular organoid culture systems to investigate how endothelial cells and pericytes self-organise and how this organisation is altered in disease. In particular, we focus on the interplay between differential adhesion and cell contractility within vascular organoids. By exploring how changes in pericyte and endothelial mechanical properties affect spheroid architecture, we aim to provide mechanistic explanations for microvascular dysfunction in haemorrhagic disease, including Dengue-associated barrier failure. This digital twin complements experimental organoid studies from Dr Campagnolo’s lab (University of Surrey).
