Photo: Jonne Renvall/Tampere University
In her doctoral dissertation, M.Sc. Kaisa Tornberg studied organ‑on‑chip systems designed to control the cellular microenvironment for modelling complex interactions between organs. The work is based on a microfluidic platform with distinct chambers representing the organs affected in stroke-heart syndrome, allowing only controlled and limited interactions between them. Tornberg developed microfluidic structures that allow oxygen levels to be controlled separately in each chamber, restricting lowered-oxygen conditions to the chamber representing the stroke-affected brain. In addition, perfusion was incorporated to provide precise control of chemical signals within specific chambers. Additionally, she created a surface treatment that enhances the attachment and functional performance of human‑derived cells on the device. Together, these advances create a microfluidic system compatible with human-based cell models for investigating brain–heart interactions in stroke-heart syndrome and for advancing biomedical research that offers alternatives to animal models.
The doctoral dissertation of Master of Science Kaisa Tornberg in the field of Biomedical Engineering titled Compartmentalized Microenvironment Control for Organ-on-Chip Platforms will be publicly examined at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology at Tampere University on 10.4.2026.
The Opponents will be professor Maria Tenje, Uppsala University, Sweden and professor Peter Loskill, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany. The Custos will be professor Pasi Kallio from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University.