In her doctoral dissertation, MSc (Tech) Sanna Korpela studied how the physical environment influences epithelial cells and how they generate and transmit mechanical forces in epithelial tissues. To address these questions, new hydrogel-based cell culture models were developed, enabling mechanobiological studies of kidney epithelial cells and retinal pigment epithelium under conditions that more closely resemble the cells’ native environments. The work demonstrates that epithelial cells are not passive structures, but instead actively generate and transmit forces to their surrounding environment. At the same time, the research highlights the potential of hydrogels for mechanobiological studies and for the development of advanced cell culture models.
The doctoral dissertation of MSc (Tech) Sanna Korpela in the field of Biomedical Engineering titled Hydrogel-based platforms for epithelial mechanobiology: From force transmission to retinal renewal will be publicly examined at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology at Tampere University on Tuesday 26 May 2026.
The Opponent will be Professor Aparna Lakkaraju from the University of California, San Francisco, USA. The Custos will be Associate Professor Teemu Ihalainen, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University.