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Polacheck Lab
CongratulationsCongratulations to the Lab of William Polacheck, Ph.D., an MHI member and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Member, Cell Biology and Physiology Curriculum, UNC Medicine; Member, Comparative Medicine Institute, NCSU, for publishing vascular malformation-on-chip model for drug screening in Science Advances.

Wen Yih Aw

Dr. Julie Blatt

Boyce Griffith, Ph.D.Dr. Anthony Hickey

 

 

 

 

Science AdvancesFor this manuscript, titled “Microphysiological model of PIK3CA-driven vascular malformations reveals a role of dysregulated Rac1 and mTORC1/2 in lesion formation”, Dr. Wen Yih Aw, a biomolecular engineering (BME) postdoctoral fellow in the Polacheck Lab, led a highly collaborative effort that involved contributions from nearly every member of the Polacheck Lab, along with Dr. Julie Blatt in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at UNC, Dr. Boyce Griffith in Applied Math, and Dr. Anthony Hickey at the Eshleman School of Pharmacy. By developing a microfluidic model of vascular malformations, Dr. Aw and colleagues demonstrate novel signaling mechanisms in lesion formation and test potential interventions. The work is featured in the 17 February 2023, Volume 9, Issue 7, of the journal Science Advances and can be read online now.