“If you want to test a drill, you try it out on a piece of wood first, rather than on the whole house straight away,” says Noah Müller from the Institute of Chemistry at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg. He uses this analogy to describe what his research is all about: testing new medical devices safely in the laboratory before they are used on animals or humans.
The PhD student works at the Core Facility for Tissue Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Heike Walles. This is an interdisciplinary field of research where engineering, biology and materials science come together. The aim is to produce artificial tissue or even entire organ structures in the laboratory.
Noah Müller was recently awarded the IHK Research Prize for his work. The focus is on so-called cell phantoms, artificial models that mimic human tissue. “We can use them to test medical devices and new therapies,” he explains. This allows errors or areas for improvement to be identified at a very early stage, even before animal testing or clinical trials become necessary. This saves time and reduces the number of animal experiments. A key focus of his research is tumour treatment.
Noah Müller in the laboratory (Photo: Jana Dünnhaupt/University of Magdeburg)
In a recent scientific publication, Noah Müller investigated a device for so-called irreversible electroporation. This involves using short, strong electrical pulses to specifically damage the membrane of tumour cells. Unlike many previous methods, this does not involve the use of heat. “Heat does destroy tumour cells, but it often damages healthy tissue as well. This can cause inflammation,” explains the engineer. Electroporation is considered a non-thermal method. Ideally, the surrounding tissue remains intact whilst the cancer cells undergo controlled cell death.
The basis for these tests is a special gel, usually collagen-based. “You can imagine it as a mixture of jelly and a softened gummy bear,” says Noah Müller with a smile. Previously cultured cells are introduced into this hydrogel, where they can grow in three dimensions. This allows tumour tissue and healthy tissue to be realistically replicated. The properties of the gel, such as water content or electrical conductivity, can be adjusted to resemble those of specific organs. Using these artificially created tumours, the scientists can observe how the tumour tissue reacts to new therapies.
In his PhD project, Müller is taking things a step further: he wants to integrate artificial blood vessels into the cell models. “As the model grows larger, the cells inside die because they no longer receive nutrients,” he explains. An artificial vascular system is intended to ensure a better supply in future. This would be an important step towards developing larger and more complex models, thereby enabling the testing of even more sophisticated medical devices.
What excites him about his work is the diversity. Biological questions play just as much a role as materials development, construction and technical planning. “It is a young field of research where a great deal is still possible,” says the scientist.
He deliberately avoids making grand career plans. What matters far more to him is remaining curious and taking pleasure in research. He has a simple wish for his future: “To be happy – that’s the most important thing. And to drive tissue engineering forward even further to help more people.”
