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RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
A TERG researcher operating biofabrication equipment at RCSI

Facilities & capabilities

Technology for making, testing and understanding biomaterials.

Explore the specialist equipment, workflows and shared research environment that support TERG projects from material design and biofabrication to mechanical testing, imaging and biological evaluation.

05 connected capability areas

Explore our capabilities

Built for connected bioengineering.

Facilities and shared workflows connect material design, fabrication and analysis with biological and translational evaluation.

01

Facility & capability

Biomaterials synthesis & processing

Workflows for designing, formulating and fabricating advanced biomaterials for regenerative medicine.
Scanning electron micrograph of the porous architecture of a chitosan hydrogel
NU iGEM; CC BY 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chitosan_Hydrogel_SEM_Image.tif

Selected equipment & workflows

  • 01Wet chemistry and biomaterial formulation
  • 02Scaffold fabrication and freeze-drying
  • 03Hydrogel formulation and crosslinking
  • 04Electrospinning and fibre processing
02

Facility & capability

3D printing & biofabrication

Equipment and workflows for translating material concepts into structured biological systems and prototype devices.
A bioprinter nozzle depositing a square hydrogel construct
Philip Ezze; CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bioprinting.jpg

Selected equipment & workflows

  • 01Extrusion-based 3D bioprinting
  • 02Computer-aided design and slicing
  • 03Multi-material construct fabrication
  • 04Medical-device prototyping
03

Facility & capability

Mechanical testing & biomechanics

Material and construct testing that connects physical performance with tissue-specific design requirements.
Cells interacting with a collagen scaffold in a scanning electron micrograph
CSIRO; CC BY 3.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CSIRO_ScienceImage_293_Cells_Interacting_With_Collagen.jpg

Selected equipment & workflows

  • 01Compression and tensile testing
  • 02Viscoelastic and cyclic characterisation
  • 03Hydrogel and scaffold mechanics
  • 04Prototype and implant performance testing
04

Facility & capability

Characterisation & imaging

Analytical methods for understanding how biomaterial composition, structure and morphology affect biological performance.
Green fluorescence microscopy of the actin cytoskeleton in cultured cells
Bioguy10; CC0 1.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fluorescence.microscope3.jpg

Selected equipment & workflows

  • 01Spectroscopy and material analysis
  • 02Optical and fluorescence microscopy
  • 03Histology and slide imaging
  • 04Microstructural and surface characterisation
05

Facility & capability

Biological evaluation

Cell and tissue workflows for assessing bioactivity, compatibility and regenerative performance.
Microscopy of an intestinal organoid grown from Lgr5-positive stem cells
St Johnston D / PLOS Biology; CC BY 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Intestinal_organoid.PNG

Selected equipment & workflows

  • 01Cell culture and biological assays
  • 02Tissue processing and histology
  • 03Immunostaining and fluorescence analysis
  • 04Ex vivo and translational evaluation workflows

Access & collaboration

Discuss a method, facility or research partnership.

Contact TERG