“As a scientist, whenever I test something, I always prepare for failure,” explained Yun Liang, Ph.D., associate professor for the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, reflecting back on the first time she and her collaborators tested how well a novel nanofoam could protect an organ – in this case, a liver – from impact.
“We applied a large amount of force to the control liver, and you didn’t need a microscope to see the cracks in the tissue,” she said. “But when we applied the nanofoam to the test liver and used the same impact, the liver stayed intact. That was the moment we felt that we had done something that could really help people.”
Since then, the nanofoam has been tested on kidneys, hearts and lungs, all of which it proved to protect. In the future, the foam could be applied to cars, building structures and clothing to help shield people from blunt force trauma.
“We know a lot of immune response genes are affected by mechanical impact, both in the short- and long-term,” Dr. Liang said. “So, we want to study post-impact effects on the immune system. We know the nanofoam can protect us from immediate damage, but what happens in the long term? What memory does the trauma leave the cells with? And how can we prevent that?”
Scientific curiosity leads to translational collaboration
This research is an extension of Liang’s usual ballpark. She typically focuses on diseases that cause a body to attack its own soft tissues, known as autoimmune diseases. But her interest in immune responses of all kinds led her and her collaborators to wonder about those associated with trauma.
“What happens when our bodies experience that level of impact?” Dr. Liang wondered. “Is there any kind of immune response? What’s the stress response of that? And how can we potentially protect ourselves?”
She began working with Weiyi Lu, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the MSU College of Engineering, to advance his liquid nanofoam, made up of tiny holes surrounded by water and proven to have protective properties for the brain when used to line football helmets. Dr. Liang admitted when they began, she knew almost nothing about protection from mechanical impact.
Currently, the research is working to understand the molecular and cellular basis of trauma-caused injury, as well as seeing if the nanofoam material can be tailored to protect both the short- and long-term damage caused by trauma.
“I’ve learned that in terms of aligning protective materials with the subject that needs to be protected, there’s a lot of study that doesn’t involve the subject’s biological systems,” Dr. Liang explained, pointing out that many protective materials currently on the market have properties that can’t be activated during damaging conditions. “Although there are lots of protective materials, they’re not tailored to biological responses. That’s really interesting to me, and I think it’s a great goal for us to have something that really works on human bodies.”
This goal is a specific embodiment of Dr. Liang’s overall curious nature, which led her to become a scientist in the first place.
“It’s very exciting for me when I see new things,” she said. “I’m a scientist who has broad interests. I like open questions and collaborations that may lead me to new discoveries.”
“As a scientist, whenever I test something, I always prepare for failure,” explained Yun Liang, Ph.D., associate professor for the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, reflecting back on the first time she and her collaborators tested how well a novel nanofoam could protect an organ – in this case, a liver – from impact.
“We applied a large amount of force to the control liver, and you didn’t need a microscope to see the cracks in the tissue,” she said. “But when we applied the nanofoam to the test liver and used the same impact, the liver stayed intact. That was the moment we felt that we had done something that could really help people.”
Since then, the nanofoam has been tested on kidneys, hearts and lungs, all of which it proved to protect. In the future, the foam could be applied to cars, building structures and clothing to help shield people from blunt force trauma.
“We know a lot of immune response genes are affected by mechanical impact, both in the short- and long-term,” Dr. Liang said. “So, we want to study post-impact effects on the immune system. We know the nanofoam can protect us from immediate damage, but what happens in the long term? What memory does the trauma leave the cells with? And how can we prevent that?”
Scientific curiosity leads to translational collaboration
This research is an extension of Liang’s usual ballpark. She typically focuses on diseases that cause a body to attack its own soft tissues, known as autoimmune diseases. But her interest in immune responses of all kinds led her and her collaborators to wonder about those associated with trauma.
“What happens when our bodies experience that level of impact?” Dr. Liang wondered. “Is there any kind of immune response? What’s the stress response of that? And how can we potentially protect ourselves?”
She began working with Weiyi Lu, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the MSU College of Engineering, to advance his liquid nanofoam, made up of tiny holes surrounded by water and proven to have protective properties for the brain when used to line football helmets. Dr. Liang admitted when they began, she knew almost nothing about protection from mechanical impact.
Currently, the research is working to understand the molecular and cellular basis of trauma-caused injury, as well as seeing if the nanofoam material can be tailored to protect both the short- and long-term damage caused by trauma.
“I’ve learned that in terms of aligning protective materials with the subject that needs to be protected, there’s a lot of study that doesn’t involve the subject’s biological systems,” Dr. Liang explained, pointing out that many protective materials currently on the market have properties that can’t be activated during damaging conditions. “Although there are lots of protective materials, they’re not tailored to biological responses. That’s really interesting to me, and I think it’s a great goal for us to have something that really works on human bodies.”
This goal is a specific embodiment of Dr. Liang’s overall curious nature, which led her to become a scientist in the first place.
“It’s very exciting for me when I see new things,” she said. “I’m a scientist who has broad interests. I like open questions and collaborations that may lead me to new discoveries.”