Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Restoring An Iso:5840-Compliant Pulse Duplicator Device For Hydrodynamic Performance Characterization Of Artificial Cardiac Valves, Denver Eagar

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

During the summer of 2021, I was employed as an intern at Dynatek Labs, an implantable prosthetics testing company located in southern Missouri. My primary project was to modernize an abandoned pulse duplicator device and protocol to allow the company to re-enter a market area which they left nearly 15 years prior: heart valve testing. The company halted this initiative due to changes in international testing standards in previous years. The International Standards Organization Cardiac Valves Working Group released the latest version of standards concerning artificial heart valve testing (ISO 5840) in January of 2021. Accordingly, my project required that …

Developing A Semester-Long Project In A Biomechanical Engineering Course To Instill The Entrepreneurial Mindset In The Next-Generation Biomedical Engineering Students, Loren Hedgecock

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Entrepreneurial-Minded Learning (EML) is an emerging pedagogy progressively gaining popularity in the engineering education community. Coincided with project-based learning (PBL), EML illustrates an essential dimension to the instruction of next-generation engineers, equipping them with various perspectives and approaches to relate societal challenges with technical concepts. Nationwide initiatives, such as the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), have developed a learning framework specifically designed to create engineers such as these. The implementation of EML aims to stimulate connections, create value, and ignite curiosity. This study introduced a semester-long project based on these EML skillsets in a sophomore-level biomechanical engineering course. To evaluate …

The Influence Of Mmp14 On Angiogenesis In Chemotherapy-Treated Tumors, Abdussaboor Muhammad

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world, and it is the fourth most common cause of cancer related death (1). There have been many significant advancements regarding the treatment of cancer which aim to shrink the size of tumors in patients. However, there is still more that needs to be understood about the many different factors that play a role in colorectal cancer development.

Angiogenesis is the process of forming new blood vessels from existing ones and it requires breaking down and remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in order to allow endothelial cells to migrate …

Virtual Reality As An Education Tool In Biomedical Engineering, Megan Wilkerson

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Virtual Reality (VR) has become more accessible in recent years, both to experience and to create. Various studies have shown that incorporating VR in an educational setting can yield positive results. Virtual reality videos created using course-specific content could prove to be a beneficial educational tool. VR videos were implemented in a remote biomolecular engineering laboratory course. 180° VR videos of lab procedures were recorded and viewed by students using a Google Cardboard headset and their smartphones. After viewing all the VR lab videos, students were given a survey to report their experiences. The survey contained questions used to measure …

The Utilization Of Autofluorescence To Study The Effects Of L-Buthionine-Sulfoximine On Cellular Metabolism In Vitro, Madison Belew

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Oxidative damage and stress impacts metabolic activity and has been implicated in a number of diseases . These medical conditions have been found to be associated with a lack of glutathione (GSH). There is a need to study the effects that the absence of glutathione has in order to expand knowledge of indicators that cause conditions like cataracts, cancer, or impaired wound healing. L-buthionine-sulfoximine (BSO) has been used in past studies to hinder GSH production and induce oxidative stress within a cell. This study explores the effects of BSO and induced oxidative stress on the metabolic activity and processes within …

Theoretical Applicability Of Crispr-Mediated Exon Skipping In Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Andrew Greek

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) affects approximately 1 in 5,000 males. DMD results from genetic mutations within the gene that interrupts the open reading frame and prematurely truncates the protein. From a non-functional dystrophin protein, DMD results in serious muscle weakening and muscle wasting ultimately leading to death around the age of 26. In some cases of muscular dystrophy, a mutation can occur in areas of the gene that are less essential. In Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), these mutations cause less significant consequences in phenotype as the dystrophin protein is still semi-functional. With gene editing techniques, it may be possible to …

Comparing The Effects Of Fibroblast Growth Factors On Growth Rate Of Human Fibroblast Cell Lines, Tasha Repella

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Numerous studies have demonstrated the usefulness of growth factors in medium formulations to promote proliferation and viability of human fibroblasts in laboratory settings. However, due to the differences in the source and age of fibroblasts, the ability of growth factors like hFGF1 to promote proliferation varies. Equally difficult is the ability of hFGF1 to promote proliferation of diseased fibroblasts due to complexities associated with specific mitochondrial diseases. In this context, we decided to evaluate the potential for novel hyper stable growth factors super hFGF and hFGF1 (shFGF and hFGF1 respectively), to contribute to proliferation of different normal and diseased fibroblasts. …

Vector Flow Imaging In Pediatric Cardiology - Extracting And Validating Data, Mason Belue

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the field of bedside cardiac diagnostic imaging, Doppler Ultrasound (DU) is the gold standard for diagnosing heart conditions. The largest benefit of DU is its ability to noninvasively image cardiac flow and allow the estimation of blood velocity and quantification of anatomical disease. However, to get correct velocity estimation, the position of the transducer in relation to the flow field needs to be known. This is the problem of angle/direction dependency and limits DUs accuracy when imaging in areas where perfect alignment or exact position of the transducer in relation to flow field is not possible or known, such …

Extraction And Analysis Of Vector Flow Imaging Data In A Pediatric Population, Bailey Stinnett

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Vector flow imaging (VFI) is a new ultrasound technology that provides real time, angle-independent visualization of flow velocities in the heart and great vessels. Thus far, VFI has been used for superficial applications due to the limited penetration depth of available transducer probes; however, this depth in smaller pediatric patients enables adequate aortic views. In this project, VFI was used to study pediatric aortic stenosis (PAS)—a congenital heart defect that results in the narrowing of the aorta and/or aortic valve. The decision to refer PAS patients for surgical or catheter-based intervention is initially based on Doppler ultrasound. VFI is potentially …

In-Vitro Simulation Of Acute Ischemic Stroke, Paolo Garcia

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a condition that involves the occlusion of a blood vessel within the brain, effectively preventing the passage of oxygen and nutrients. AIS is highly prevalent in the United States, where nearly 795,000 strokes happen per year and 87% of those are ischemic. From a medical standpoint, the obstructing clot can be removed with the use of a stroke retrieval device. However, a need arises for testing the aforementioned devices on a patient’s specific vascular geometries in order to increase the likelihood of a successful procedure. Outlined is a process for developing a physical simulation of …

Optimizing A Standard Fasting Time For 2-Nbdg Uptake Studies In Murine Breast Cancers, Andrew C. Briley

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Recently, there has been a larger use of 2-NBDG, a fluorescent glucose analog, to study glucose uptake in different cell types. These cell types have ranged anywhere from bacteria to human cancer cells. However, there has yet to be a standard procedure and practice for using 2-NBDG. In this study, our goal is to create a standard fasting time for the cells before introducing 2-NBDG to them. This study uses 4T07 cells, a murine breast cancer cell line, to help optimize this fasting time. These cells were fasted at different time points in order to find the ideal fasting time. …

Local Delivery Of Ctla-4 Blockade Inhibits Growth Of Pancreatic Tumors, Jack Baltz

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Immune checkpoint blockade has demonstrated great potential in activating antitumor immunity. Ipilimumab is a monoclonal antibody which targets cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4. CTLA-4 belongs to the CD28 class of receptors and is found on the surface of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. CTLA-4 acts to suppress the immune system when bound to CD80 and CD86 receptors on antigen presenting cells. Ipilimumab, or anti-CTLA-4, has shown to be effective in significantly extending the survival of patients with metastatic melanoma. However, systemic delivery of Ipilimumab also induces significant side effects such as: colitis, dermatitis, uveitis, and hypophysitis. In order to minimize …

Optimized Protocol For Measuring 2-Nbdg Uptake As A Cellular Marker Of Glycolytic Demand, Drew Folgmann

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

2[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,2-diaxol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxyglucose (2-NBDG) a fluorescently tagged analog of FDG is ideal for in vitro studies and imaging. 2-NBDG has been proven to be an adequate marker for glucose uptake in many different types of cells [1]. However, across the spectrum of 2-NBDG use a lack of consensus is observed for the following questions. What is the ideal time to fast cells to optimize cellular uptake of 2-NBDG? Also, what is the ideal concentration of 2-NBDG to be used when quantifying glucose uptake? Finally, what is the effect of serum on the uptake of 2-NBDG? To answer these questions and understand glucose …

Crizotinib And Ceritinib Induce Apoptosis And Necrosis In Primary Rat Hepatocytes With Distinct Capacity, Alec T. Salminen

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Drug development makes up a major portion of biomedical engineering research interests. The FDA oversees the introduction, experimentation, and implementation of all drugs before market approval is granted. Even after market approval is granted, the FDA continues to monitor the safety of all drugs. Crizotinib and ceritinib are two anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors recently approved by the FDA. Both drugs are indicated for treatment of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) with abnormal ALK gene, and they are approved with a companion diagnostic test that determines ALK abnormality. Clinical trial data suggest that crizotinib and ceritinib can cause liver injury, …

Non-Directional Conjugation Of Fluorescent Antibodies To Gold Nanoparticles For Stem Cell Therapy, Kunal B. Shah

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this study was to design citrate-coated gold nanoparticles conjugated with FITC-IgG, a fluorescent antibody, and to qualitatively and quantitatively measure the resulting fluorescent emission. Optical properties of the gold nanoparticles were measured at various stages to provide evidence of successful conjugation. The absorbance spectrum of the citrate gold nanoparticles was compared to that of the reaction mixture containing the gold nanoparticles and the FITC-IgG. A noticeable broadening of the absorption peak was observed at 519 nm indicating a surface modification of the gold nanoparticles. Fluorescence data was obtained with a fluorospectrometer and revealed a significant amount of …