What is the role of small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) in cervical remodeling during pregnancy? In collaboration with the Mahendroo lab at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the combination of imaging, immunohistochemistry, collagen crosslink analysis, and mechanical testing reveals an important regulatory role of SLRPs in the uterine cervix.
We loved having Jada Hinds, a 2021 SURE Fellow from Duke University, as an undergraduate researcher in our lab over the summer! You can watch her present her work on studying the effects of maternal anatomy parameters on cervical loading at the Columbia SURE website.
The Myers Lab congratulates Lei Shi on his well-deserved doctoral degree from Columbia University! Lei’s work mechanically testing and modeling the human cervix not only characterizes the equilibrium response of human cervical tissue, but also pioneers capturing its time-dependent mechanical response.
Congratulations to Myers Lab members Nicole Lee and Arielle Feder for placing in the SB3C 2021 ASME-BED Student Paper Competition! Nicole Lee tied for first place at the PhD level in the Soft Tissue Biomechanics section, and Arielle Feder got runner-up at the BS level in the Soft Tissues section. We couldn’t be more proud!
How do mechanical properties of the human uterus change throughout pregnancy, and how do they differ across uterine anatomical locations? We combine video extensometry, mechanical testing and computational modeling to explore in our recently published manuscript.
Our new manuscript reports measurements from 2D ultrasound of uterine and cervical growth during pregnancy and a design table driven method to build patient-specific models.
We are so proud of our undergraduate and masters level students, who recently wrapped up their summer research projects! Their final presentations were recorded and we are so excited to share!
Tara Atkinson
Tara is currently a masters student in Mechanical Engineering. Her project this summer focused on developing a parametric model of monkey uteri.
Anabella Advincula
Anabella is an incoming freshman student at Barnard College. She led a team in the Columbia University Summer Design Challenge to reimagine prenatal care for better telemedicine visits. Other members of the team were Tara Atkinson, Arielle Feder, and Imani Phillips.
Lizzie Ayton
Lizzie is an undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering who joined the Myers lab this summer to work on finite element modeling of the rodent reproductive tract. She focused on building a parametric model of the mouse uterus and cervix.
A) parametric solid model of nonpregnant mouse uterine horn and cervix generated from ultrasound data B) Preliminary finite element analysis mapping the first principal strain with a 1kPa pressure applied to the inner surface. The model has a neo-Hookean material applied to the entire body. The ultrasounds measurements were from Conway et al. “Biaxial biomechanical properties of the nonpregnant murine cervix and uterus” and Jennifer Anderson, Purdue University (SB3C 2020).
Divya Rajasekharan & Arielle Feder
Divya and Arielle are undergraduate students in Mechanical Engineering who worked jointly this summer to build parametric patient-specific models of the uterus and cervix for late gestation. They also worked on modeling additional structures important for birthing simulations, the pelvic bone (Divya) and vaginal canal (Arielle). Their videos have been uploaded to Columbia Academic Commons, and can be found using the links below:
The lab is listening and learning about ways we can end racial disparities in Women’s Health. Beyond today, we aim to infuse our academic practice with these lessons and open ourselves to more listening and more action. #ShutDownSTEM #BlackLivesMatter #BlackMamasMatter
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