ChE PhD Dissertation Defense: Bryan Schellberg

Name:
Bryan Schellberg

Title:
A Robust, Scalable, and User-Friendly Organ-Chip Platform for Automated, Spatiotemporal Characterization of Living Cell Culture Conditions

Date:
03/16/2026

Time:
12:00:00 PM

Committee Members:
Prof. Abigail Koppes (Advisor)
Prof. Ryan Koppes (Advisor)
Prof. Allison Dennis
Prof. Samuel Chung

Location:
Hastings 113

Abstract:
Organ-chips, or microphysiological devices (MPSs) are an emergent technology that bridges the gap between current in vitro and in vivo models used in biomedical research. To address the technological gaps associated with current options, MPS models have been engineered to integrate three-dimensional tissue architectures in vitro to recapitulate organ-specific function. These systems offer improved bio-relevance and controlled complexity via integration induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines, physical and chemical stimulation, and biomimetic extracellular matrices. Although significant advancements have been made toward recreating organ-specific physiology on-chip, the methods available to study the structure and function of the cell microenvironment are still limited. This work developed, validated, and applied a technology platform for characterizing the state of the cellular microenvironment on chip.

A fiber-optic-based sensing platform was engineered and validated to non­invasively sense luminescence from MPS devices. The optical setup delivered excitation light via fiber-coupled LEDs and recorded luminophore emission to a monochrome camera. Linking a microcontroller enabled automated image capture for remote data acquisition and characterization of the on-chip cellular microenvironment. Addition of multi-fiber bundles permitted spatiotemporal data acquisition for whole-chip monitoring. This fiber-optic-based sensing platform provides a starting point for significant improvements to real-time interrogation of on-chip structure and function.

We applied our sensing platform to a previously validated MPS model of intestinal barrier function to confirm efficacy and reliability. Caco-2 epithelial cells were cultured in our established MPS and subjected to a cocktail of pro-inflammatory cytokines to disrupt barrier function. MPSs dosed with the cytokines showed significantly decreased barrier function, as monitored by our fiber optic sensing platform.

Integration of MPS sensing with automation tools is essential to bridge the academic-industrial gap for broad use of these devices. Here, we coupled our fiber­optic-based sensing system with a fluid handling robot and motorized programmable microscope stage. With these tools, we demonstrated automated culture and monitoring of iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte beat rate, providing a blueprint for high-throughput MPS sensing.

In summary, this thesis outlines tools and techniques that may be used to design, build, validate, and apply optical sensing approaches for rich, real-time, and high­throughput data acquisition from MPS devices.

Bryan Schellberg is a 5th year PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University. He will graduate in March 2026 with his thesis defense titled “A Robust, Scalable, and User-Friendly Organ-Chip Platform for Automated, Spatiotemporal Characterization of Living Cell Culture Conditions.” Bryan’s work focuses on the intersection of biology and technology to build improved sensing approaches for applications in human pathophysiology and novel drug development. Throughout his time at Northeastern, Bryan has engineered, validated, and applied a fiber-optic-based sensing platform for real-time, high-throughput data collection from organ-on-a-chip systems. As a result from this work, he has submitted a patent application for the technology developed, two first-author publications, and submitted an additional co-first author manuscript for review. In the short-term, Bryan looks forward to applying his expertise to the private sector to aid in the development of disruptive technologies to overhaul the current drug discovery pipeline.