Prakriti Tayalia
Graduate Student Researcher
tayalia@fas.harvard.edu

Education

University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
M.S. Materials Science & Engineering (2003)

Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, India
B.Tech. Metallurgical Engineering & Materials Science (1999)

Research Focus

The objective of my research is to explore the use of optical fabrication techniques for studying the role of material architecture and physical properties in 3D cell-cell interactions and motility. The mechanisms and regulation of cell migration have been extensively studied in two-dimensional (2D) cell culture models. However, discrepancies between the behavior of cells in culture and in vivo have led researchers to switch to three-dimensional (3D) models, which better represent the microenvironment of living tissues with respect to dimensionality, architecture and cell polarity. It has been shown that the 3D matrices were more effective in mediating cell adhesion than were 2D substrates. Although patterning techniques like soft lithography, photolithography, and microprinting have been extensively used to study cell behavior in 2D, few tools exist for studying cells in a well controlled manner in 3D. I propose to fabricate a three dimensional matrix with a control over pore size, from the micrometer to the submicrometer scale, and a precise spatial control over biochemical and mechanical cues independently. This novel three-dimensional matrix will then be used to delineate the role of chemical and physical factors affecting cell migration in 3D as a model for understanding cell migration in the body.

Publications

• Tayalia, P., Heider, D., Gillespie, J.W. Characterization and theoretical modeling of magnetostrictive strain sensors. Sensors and Actuators A-Physical 2004; 111 (2-3): 267-274.

Interests