Dr. Alessandro Iuliano

• Role: Postdoctoral researcher

Tissue engineering is the discipline that combines the engineering (in the form of fabrication, biomaterials, biomechanics) with cell biology, in order to create in vitro model systems that closely mimic the original tissues of the human body. This versatile approach is especially useful in modelling skeletal muscle, a very peculiar tissue that lacked proper models so far. In the past years I developed 3D Tissue Engineered Skeletal Muscles (3D-TESMs), or “muscle-on-a-chip”, that are able to contract like real muscle and can be cultivated for months. Using the 3D-TESMs we validated the use of muscle cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells, which we can use to model neuromuscular diseases such as Pompe Disease, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and more. At the same time, I collaborated with the company Optics11 Life, to co-develop an advanced system allowing the stimulation and ultra-sensitive force measurement of 3D-TESMs in a real-time, high-throughput way. I believe muscle tissue-engineered models are set to be pivotal tools for disease modelling, drug development and regenerative medicine.

Doctoral thesis: 20-02-2024 – A Tissue-Engineered Model of Skeletal Muscle: Creating next-generation tools to study muscle biology and neuromuscular disorders