Innovative high-throughput system for neuromuscular junction-on-chip

Muscle tissue engineering is a developing field which fuses several disciplines, particularly the production of bioreactors and molecular biology. At the edge of the field lies the combination of muscular and neural components, starting from the recapitulation of a neuromuscular junction (NMJ).

This project will be developed as a collaboration between TU Delft (MEMPhys group @ ECTM) and Erasmus MC (Pim Pijnappel's group), combining the complementary expertise in material and process engineering and in tissue engineering, muscle biology and disease modeling. Prior works from both groups have demonstrated how to engineer synthetic microenvironments to host realistic in-vitro models of cardiac [1] and skeletal muscle [2-3] tissues.

The goal of this project is to design, develop and optimize an innovative bioreactor that allows the parallel generation of multiple 3D engineered muscle tissues in combination with motor neurons to form a medium-to-high throughput NMJ-on-chip device. The student will focus on overcoming the limitations of the systems currently available to obtain a technology that increases user-friendliness, allows the development of more physiological and complex tissues, and permits multichannel electrical stimulation.

[1] M. Dostanic et al., Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems 29 (5), 881-887 (2020)
[2] A. Iuliano et al., Advanced Material Technologies 5 (9), 2000344 (2020)
[3] A. Iuliano et al., Advanced Material Technologies 8 (22), 2300845 (2023)

Assignment

The project will include the following activities:

• A review of state-of-the-art muscle-on-chip and neuromuscular junction-on-chip devices;
• Design of a new NMJ-on-chip device with integrated stimulation functionality;
• Characterization and optimization of the device;
• Biological testing and evaluation (@ EMC);
• Reporting.

Requirements

You are an ambitious hands-on Master student with a background in microelectronic, biomedical or material engineering. You have an affinity for working in a multi-disciplinary context, including biology and (micro)fabrication. You have good communication skills in English, you are independent and a team player.

The graduation project will have a total duration of 9 to 12 months.

Contact

Last modified: 2025-07-30