Gabriela De Lima

Gabriela De Lima

Biography

Gabriela de Lima is a rising second-year Mechanical Engineering student at Howard University and a member of the Karsh STEM Scholars PhD pathway program. She is interested in mobility research and is particularly curious about how wearable technology can improve the quality of life for those with limited mobility. Gabriela’s passion was inspired by her observations of the physical demands placed on blue-collar workers in her community. At MIT, she is working in the Raman Lab, prototyping a high-throughput optical stimulation system to exercise muscle tissue. At Howard, Gabriela is actively involved in both academic and community initiatives. She is the director of the mentorship program for the HU Society for Women, Engineering chapter, and the producer of Radio Chango, the podcast for Howard’s Afro-Latine student organization, where she explores topics related to her cultural identity and community. Outside of academia, Gabriela finds joy in creative expression through nail artistry and crocheting.

Optical Stimulation System for Incubated Muscle Cell Cultures
Gabriela de Lima¹, Giannka Picache², Ronald Heisser Ph.D.², Ritu Raman Ph.D.^2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Howard University
²Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Skeletal muscle tissue possesses regenerative properties and an incredible force to weight ratio, making it a promising avenue for biohybrid robot integration. Like native muscle, in vitro developed muscles must be exercised during maturation to signal myogenic cells to grow. In recent literature, optical stimulation (OS) has been identified as a less invasive alternative to electrical stimulation for exercise. For the C2C12 cell line expressing channelrhodopsin, blue light exposure enables contraction of the tissue with precise spatial control, where isolated regions are stimulated. Currently, manual OS greatly extends experiment durations, unnecessarily prolonging results. This project aimed to optimize a previously developed light stimulation table to establish a robust automatic OS setup. The device geometry was reconfigured to be compatible with 6-well plates, and the body was re-machined using PETG-HF, a waterproof 3D print filament that can withstand incubator conditions. An interface was developed for remote device control where users can specify light intensity, frequency, duty cycle, and request individual well illumination. The development of this device provides the lab with a reproducible setup for exercising tissue cultures. Wide-scale adoption of this light table will establish a robust, customizable, and high-throughput method to stimulate cell cultures, expediting muscle maturation.