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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Understanding And Improving Adult Stem Cells For Cartilage Tissue Engineering, Dakota Katz
Understanding And Improving Adult Stem Cells For Cartilage Tissue Engineering, Dakota Katz
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
Articular cartilage allows for near frictionless joint movement; however, when damaged the tissue has very little capacity for self-repair. Tissue engineering can be used to both repair damaged articular cartilage and as an in vitro model for joint disease. Commonly used cell sources for tissue engineering are adipose-derived and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs and MSCs) because they can be patient matched, expand rapidly in culture, and have multipotent differentiation potential. However, donor-to-donor variability of differentiation potential can mask the results of in vitro experiments and ASCs and MSCs only retain their multipotency for a limited number of passages. …
Engineering Nucleus Pulposus Cell-Matrix Interactions With Laminin Ligands For Tissue Regeneration, Julie Elizabeth Speer
Engineering Nucleus Pulposus Cell-Matrix Interactions With Laminin Ligands For Tissue Regeneration, Julie Elizabeth Speer
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
Low back pain and degenerative conditions of the intervertebral disc (IVD) represent major global socioeconomic and medical burdens. The structures that comprise the IVD including the anulus fibrosis and the nucleus pulposus (NP) work together to stabilize the axial skeleton and distribute mechanical forces. However, the degenerative cascade, which is thought to begin with changes to the NP, results in alterations to the disc that can be seen across length scales including elongated cell shapes, tissue dehydration, and loss of disc height. Patients who present clinically with these changes may also experience altered biomechanics, pain upon motion, impairments to their …
Developing Aligned Nerve Scaffolds In A 3d Type-I Collagen Gel, Gabriel David
Developing Aligned Nerve Scaffolds In A 3d Type-I Collagen Gel, Gabriel David
Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses
Despite significant progress in the field of peripheral nerve repair, clinical success is still limited, leaving millions to suffer from peripheral neuropathy with billions spent every year for treatment. Nerve repair methods that are capable of maximizing the regenerative properties of peripheral nerves are greatly desired in the field of medical science. This research aims to fill the gap between modern methods and the future of nerve repair by creating type-I collagen scaffolds with aligned degradation pores that will assist and nurture nerves growing through them. This is achieved by incorporating adipose stem cells into type-I collagen hydrogels and aligning …
Peptoid-Based Microsphere Coatings For Biomaterial Applications, Jesse Leland Roberts
Peptoid-Based Microsphere Coatings For Biomaterial Applications, Jesse Leland Roberts
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Peptoids are peptidomimetic oligomers that predominantly harness similarities to peptides for biomimetic functionality. The incorporation of chiral, aromatic side chains in the peptoid sequence allows for the formation of distinct secondary structures and self-assembly into supramolecular assemblies, including microspheres. Peptoid microspheres can be coated onto substrates for potential use in biosensor technologies, tissue engineering platforms, and drug-delivery systems. They have the potential for use in biomedical applications due to their resistance to proteolytic degradation and low immunogenicity. This dissertation focuses on the physical characteristics and robustness of the peptoid microsphere coatings in various physiological conditions, along with their ability to …
Using A Lubricin Reporter Cell To Test Current Vs. Optimized Media Compositions, Sean M. Kennedy
Using A Lubricin Reporter Cell To Test Current Vs. Optimized Media Compositions, Sean M. Kennedy
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Osteoarthritis is a joint disease characterized by the breakdown of articular cartilage. The field of tissue engineering is interested in developing methods to produce biological alternatives to current orthopedic procedures. Lubricin is a molecule which is important in the proper lubrication of articular cartilage. It is a challenge in the field of tissue engineering to produce cartilage with sufficient lubricin expression. Developing a reporter cell for lubricin allowed for a more efficient investigation of the conditions which may influence its expression. By comparing "optimized" and traditional media solutions, it was determined that the use of a previously reported type II …
Development Of An Injectable Methylcellulose Hydrogel System For Nucleus Pulposus Repair And Regeneration, Nada A. Haq-Siddiqi
Development Of An Injectable Methylcellulose Hydrogel System For Nucleus Pulposus Repair And Regeneration, Nada A. Haq-Siddiqi
Dissertations and Theses
Low back pain is the most common cause of disability in the world and is often caused by degeneration or injury of the intervertebral disc (IVD). The IVD is a complex, fibrocartilaginous tissue that allows for the wide range of spinal mobility. Disc degeneration is a progressive condition believed to begin in the central, gelatinous nucleus pulposus (NP) region of the tissue, for which there are few preventative therapies. Current therapeutic strategies include pain management and exercise, or surgical intervention such as spinal fusion, none of which address the underlying cause of degeneration. With an increasingly aging population, the socioeconomic …