BRIGE: Characterizing the Time-Dependent and Anisotropic Mechanical Properties of the Uterine Cervix with Micro and Nano Indentation

This Broadening Participation Research Initiation Grant in Engineering (BRIGE) award provides funding for the investigation of the mechanical properties of human cervical tissue and provides opportunities to raise the visibility of engineering science to female students. The research goal is to quantify cervical structure and material property relationships to determine how cervical tissue remodeling and mechanical properties influence each other during pregnancy. The cervical extracellular matrix (ECM) is responsible for maintaining tissue mechanical integrity and for regulating cell activity. The architecture of the collagen network and the interaction of the collagen fibers with its surroundings dictate the non-linear, time-dependent, and anisotropic material behavior of the tissue. This research aims to develop a micro and nanoindentation technique to account for the anisotropic and time-dependent mechanical behavior of cervical tissue and to develop finite element analysis tools to explore stress and strain behavior during indentation. This testing framework will guide the development of an appropriate constitutive model to generate descriptive material properties and will benefit future investigations of cervical tissue altered through disease, genetic manipulation, and biochemical alteration.

The cervix is a mechanical barrier, retaining the fetus inside the uterus during pregnancy. The mechanical integrity of the cervix and the precise timing of tissue remodeling events during pregnancy are critical for a healthy gestation of the fetus. The research funded by this grant aims to characterize the mechanical behavior of human cervical tissue and to quantify how connective tissue alterations may influence cervical material properties. The goal is to develop appropriate experimental and analytical methodologies to account for the complex nature of the tissue. The research conducted in the PI's lab is dedicated to the advancement of women's health through scientific research, and through these efforts the PI further aims to attract and recruit female students to the engineering field through efforts at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate level.