About this Research Topic
The gender gap in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields is still a crucial issue. According to UNESCO Institute for Statistics data, less than 30% of the world’s researchers are women. In 2021 in Europe, women accounted for more than a third (40.7%) of scientists and engineers, a slight increase from 38.7% in 2011. Despite some positive changes, a gender gap in STEM persists around the world, and reaching gender equality has been listed as a primary goal by both the UN, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, SDG 5: Gender Equality) and the European Union, through the Gender Equality Strategy plan currently ongoing.
In light of this scenario, recognizing the efforts of female scientists early in their research careers
will contribute to addressing the gender gap in STEM.
Within STEM research, in vitro tissue modeling is a branch of Tissue Engineering that is rapidly growing due to the increased awareness of reducing animal testing and producing relevant and functional alternative models. The tremendous advances in material processing and microscale fluidic systems, combined with progress in cell behavior and metabolism control and monitoring, have enabled the development of microphysiological systems (MPS) that are complex engineered models of human organs, essential for preclinical validation of new advanced therapies and chemicals. In fact, these models are increasingly taken into account in the FDA's efforts to translate the non-translatable results from animal experiments to humans.
The goal of this themed collection is to encourage and support the current generations of women and their enthusiasm for STEM applied to in vitro tissue modeling, providing sufficient female role models for future generations. Hence, this research collection is aimed at early-career emerging female researchers, contributing as primary or corresponding authors.
In particular, this collection aims to gather together, in the form of original articles, reviews, or brief communications, the following topics:
- Organ-on-a-chip
- Biomaterials for tissue engineering
- In vitro models
- Complementary and alternative models or assays to animal experimentation
- Cell culturing methods (e.g., 2D, 3D, and 4D cell culture)
- Bioprinting
- Stem cells and cell engineering
- Dynamic culturing
- Microfluidics
- Bioreactors
- Microphysiological systems (MPS)
The article collection will only accept manuscripts with female graduate students, postdoctoral
researchers, or assistant professors as first or correspondence authors. Please specify in the "Scope statement" section which author meets these criteria.
In light of this scenario, recognizing the efforts of female scientists early in their research careers
will contribute to addressing the gender gap in STEM.
Within STEM research, in vitro tissue modeling is a branch of Tissue Engineering that is rapidly growing due to the increased awareness of reducing animal testing and producing relevant and functional alternative models. The tremendous advances in material processing and microscale fluidic systems, combined with progress in cell behavior and metabolism control and monitoring, have enabled the development of microphysiological systems (MPS) that are complex engineered models of human organs, essential for preclinical validation of new advanced therapies and chemicals. In fact, these models are increasingly taken into account in the FDA's efforts to translate the non-translatable results from animal experiments to humans.
The goal of this themed collection is to encourage and support the current generations of women and their enthusiasm for STEM applied to in vitro tissue modeling, providing sufficient female role models for future generations. Hence, this research collection is aimed at early-career emerging female researchers, contributing as primary or corresponding authors.
In particular, this collection aims to gather together, in the form of original articles, reviews, or brief communications, the following topics:
- Organ-on-a-chip
- Biomaterials for tissue engineering
- In vitro models
- Complementary and alternative models or assays to animal experimentation
- Cell culturing methods (e.g., 2D, 3D, and 4D cell culture)
- Bioprinting
- Stem cells and cell engineering
- Dynamic culturing
- Microfluidics
- Bioreactors
- Microphysiological systems (MPS)
The article collection will only accept manuscripts with female graduate students, postdoctoral
researchers, or assistant professors as first or correspondence authors. Please specify in the "Scope statement" section which author meets these criteria.
Keywords: rising female scientists, women in STEM, gender gap, in vitro modelling and tissue engineering
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
