Within the mainstream misogynistic and homophobic narrative of Chinese society, radical feminists and lesbians face significant challenges. But the issues each of these groups face and their communities are separate and seldom intersect. This project addresses this gap between lesbian and feminist communities while aiming to comprehend how individuals within them perceive themselves and each other. It also explores the possibilities for solidarity and greater communication between the lesbian community and the radical feminist community in China. Through interviews with Chinese radical feminists, lesbians, and lesbian feminists, this project aims to bridge the divides between Chinese lesbians and radical feminists and to facilitate discussions about negotiating different aspects of one’s identity.Both lesbians and radical feminists are engaged in reconstructing intimate relationships. With the current rise of feminism in China, lesbians are reevaluating gender roles in intimate relationships. At the same time, some radical feminists are exploring lesbian feminist ideas, such as gender separatism. This project draws on theories from the second wave of the feminist movement in the U.S and queer theories to highlight important conversations in contemporary China with the goal of stimulating discussions on envisioning intimate relations beyond the framework of a heteropatriarchal society. Preliminary analyses of interviews conducted in winter 2023 show that many radical feminists and lesbians have struggled to assert their identities and find belonging in a community. Additionally, the lack of platforms and offline spaces for gender and sexuality communities leads to the isolation of individuals. The project to be presented will offer a more detailed interpretation on the reasons behind such isolation and miscommunication between the two groups. On a broader level, this project aims to offer a perspective on how we can understand the relations between people and power dynamics in this current world.

Nectar feeding is an impressive ecological niche for a species to fill as it provides a high energy resource for the species, however, obtaining nectar efficiently and without damaging the flower, which will refill the reward, often requires unique specialized mechanisms that can vary among species. Both Anna’s hummingbirds (Calypte anna), from the United States, and White-naped honeyeaters (Melithreptus lunatus), from Australia, are species of birds that are considered primarily nectivorous and have developed morphology that is apt for nectivorous feeding mechanisms independently of each other. One common morphological feature between both species is their long tongue which has a bristled tip that has important nuanced similarities and differences between them. This research looks to analyze the morphological differences between these independently evolved mechanisms through comparing and contrasting the internal and external morphological features present in the tongues of Calypte anna and Melithreptus lunatus. These morphological comparisons are made from two methods; 1) comparing and contrasting external features through 3D models of the specimens tongues from CT scans compiled by using the program 3D slicer and 2) through using paraffin wax histology with hematoxylin and eosin staining to analyze internal cross sectional differences of tongue morphology between species. Understanding comparative differences like location of structures and which structures are present between these species, belonging to unrelated clades, provides insights into how this nectarivorous niche and associated feeding methods can be addressed in different species of birds that are in turn the main pollinators of coevolved plant species. Understanding these comparisons can add to the larger picture of how nectivorous species feed and what features are important enough for allocating energy towards development, as well as understanding plant-pollinator coevolution among continents.

The ability to spatially pattern three-dimensional culture opens new avenues for modelling the heterogeneity of physiologically relevant tissue models, allowing for investigation of complex cell signaling questions. Our lab has developed a method for generating suspended tissues with spatial patterning using open microfluidic principles that we call suspended tissue open microfluidic patterning (STOMP) to improve the opportunities in patterning specific, multi-region suspended engineered tissue for biomedical applications. Within our patterning setup, open microfluidic channels allow hydrogel precursor to flow via spontaneous capillary flow, allowing any material that transitions from a fluid to gel-state (including native extracellular matrix such as collagen and fibrin), to be patterned in three dimensions with a standard pipette. Patterning devices guide the flow throughout the device, enabling us to create interesting, biologically relevant geometries as determined by the location of the channels. Additionally, pinning ridges can be implemented to stop the flow of gel through the device and create multiple regions. The multiple regions divide different cocultures within one contiguous tissue. My research project aims to pattern distinct regions of 3D cell culture within one suspended tissue by creating a multi-region STOMP device which fits within a well plate, commonly used in cell culture. The tissues can be patterned in a two region coculture using IMR-90 lung fibroblast cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and A549 adenocarcinoma human alveolar basal epithelial cells. By patterning the cells in different regions, we can generate a model for angiogenesis and cell signaling, whereby the adenocarcinoma cells patterned in one region can signal for angiogenesis from the endothelial cells patterned in another region. This research project develops a new mesoscale co-culture method to enable precise regional positioning of cells to investigate cell signaling for biomedical applications in an affordable and accessible way.

Biological tissues are a group of cells that have similar structure and that function together as a unit. In between these cells is the extracellular matrix (ECM), which provides structural support for resident cells. The makeup of the ECM consists of fibrous proteins, such as collagen, that are interlocked and cross-linked, following a nonlinear stress/strain curve and is considered viscoelastic. The dominant mechanism behind this response is the presence of largely elastic, spring-like straightening/uncrimping of fibrils. This can be thought of like applying a force to springs in parallel. Overall, this mechanism allows the ECM fibrils to align and elongate significantly under small loads, thereby aligning the cells. This, in turn, affects the overall tissue structure and its mechanical properties. We have developed a method for patterning a cell-infused collagen mixture as a three-dimensional tissue, and subsequently stretching it, in order to observe how the cells develop in a strained environment. Specifically, we have engineered two devices that fit within a 6-well plate: the tissue is patterned on the first device, and then transferred to the second for stretching. During each phase, the suspended tissue is incubated for a period of time in order to facilitate cell development and hydrogel gelling. Once the tissue has been stretched for a certain period of time, it is then removed from the device and imaged. Our modular design designates strain as an known and adjustable value, allowing us to relate it to the internal stresses of the tissue via Hooke's Law. We are able to identify the quantitative conditions that promote tissue alignment and maturation within the suspended tissue.

In vitro cell culture models allow scientists to directly study mammalian cells outside of living subjects. The drawback is that it is challenging to reproduce physiological complexity in vitro, showing a clear need for more complex models. Our goal is to use microfluidics and 3D printed devices to produce culture models which mimic certain physiological conditions, and are thus more physiological relevant representations of how cells function in vivo. We achieve this through modeling and printing millimeter wide devices, and flowing cells embedded in a hydrogel scaffold to generate three dimensional regions Using these design principles, I developed and tested a model focused on mimicking the conditions of human vasculature. Vascular endothelial cells (ECs) experience constant shear stress due to blood flow and an oscillating hydraulic pressure due to the pumping action of the heart. These forces change both the structure and function of endothelium. My goal was to develop a model capable of being cultured under these continuous stress conditions for a period of at least 3 days. In order to do this, we needed to create a channel lined with endothelial cells that was capable of being perfused through. I accomplished this by utilizing open microfluidic hydrogel patterning to generate a region with endothelial cells surrounded by a collagen region with human fibroblast cells. I was able to create a closed channel composed of ECs capable of being perfused via syringe pump. This model will advance our understanding of how mechanical stresses impact cell functionality and vasculogenesis.

According to the World Health Organization, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia – a major and growing cause of disability and dependency among older people globally. The Seattle AD Brain Cell Atlas (SEA-AD) project is a collaboration between the University of Washington (UW) and the Allen Institute for Brain Science (AIBS) aimed at discovering early vulnerable cell types in AD. In SEA-AD, we hope to further our understanding of the etiology and early progression of AD to ultimately identify targets for effective therapeutic intervention. Eighty-four participant brain donors with a postmortem interval less than 12 hours from the UW AD Research Center (12/84) and Kaiser Adult Changes in Thought (72/84) studies were included in the SEA-AD cohort. At the time of procurement, one hemisphere was frozen in super-cooled isopentane for transcriptomic analysis at AIBS; the contralateral hemisphere was fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for neuropathologic assessment at UW. The middle temporal gyrus, medial entorhinal cortex, and hippocampus were sampled, processed, embedded in paraffin, and sectioned for  immunohistochemical (IHC) studies. Seven antibodies, including duplexed stains, targeting amyloid b (6e10) and microglia (IBA1), pTau (AT8) and pTDP-43 (1D3), monoplexed a-synuclein (LB509), astrocytes (GFAP), neurons (NeuN), and triplexed histochemical stain: hematoxylin, eosin, and Luxol fast blue were deployed to assess the neuropathology associated with the presence and progression of AD and related neuropathologic changes. The data obtained from the quantitative assessment of the IHC staining is integrated with the transcriptomic data generated by the Allen Institute to enhance our understanding of the cellular vulnerabilities and associated molecular processes of AD. Public access to this neuropathological data through the SEA-AD resource potentiates research efforts to understand and identify the mechanisms of AD progression.

 After someone suffers from a heart attack, heart tissue can become scarred. Scarred heart tissue cannot regenerate, leading to many dangerous outcomes, including dysrhythmia, chronic heart failure, and even sudden cardiac death. Therefore, there is a need in tissue engineering to create a “band-aid” that could functionally replace damaged heart tissue. Utilizing open microfluidic patterning techniques, we can generate suspended heart tissue that could reinforce and replace unviable heart tissue. Towards this aim, we designed an open microfluidic patterning removable rail that interfaces between two posts such that an open channel is formed around the posts. Combining human vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and enzyme-degradable polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel, we pattern the cell-gel solution through the open channel. After the hydrogel has gelled, the rail can then be removed from the posts, revealing a suspended tissue model, acting as the vasculature of the heart tissue. Then, a second patterning rail that has a larger open channel can be placed around the first generated suspended tissue. We will then pattern human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM) in fibrin (a physiologically relevant extracellular matrix of heart cells) such that the hiPSC-CM laden fibrin gel will completely encapsulate the first HUVEC laden PEG gel. Once the complete tissue is made, the construct can be treated with an enzyme that specifically degrades PEG, resulting in a hollow core within the hiPSC-CM gel, releasing the HUVECs into the newly formed cavity. The HUVECs can then localize around the walls, thus generating an endothelized vascular chamber. Overall, this platform models the inner walls and lumen of a blood vessel, thereby representing an endothelium. Eventually, to further this project, I intend to integrate this blood vessel within a thick, multilayered engineered heart tissue patch and test its efficiency in providing structural support and useful circulation.