Neuromuscular diseases including muscular dystrophies, sarcopenia, and ALS severely limit mobility and quality of life. However, in vitro skeletal muscle cultures have proven to be valuable preclinical models to test mobility-restoring drugs. This SuperUROP will adapt the Raman Lab’s STAMP muscle culture method to 96-well plates to systematically study how substrate stiffness, chemistry, and topography affect muscle maturation and function. We will quantify muscle fiber morphology (fiber width, length, alignment), function (contractile force and dynamics), and gene expression. Optimized parameters will enable high-throughput screening of investigational drugs to evaluate the assay’s predictive value for pharmaceutical discovery.

Having cultivated C2C12 mouse muscle cells and adapted the Raman Lab’s ‘STAMP’ growth method to various well-plate formats for optimization, I have been inspired by the potential in vitro skeletal muscle cultures offer. From advancing preclinical disease models to powering biological actuators for robotics, I aim to continue pushing these frontiers, contributing to innovations at the intersection of bioengineering and technology.