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Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons™
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Full-Text Articles in Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering
Environment And Response Of 3d-Encapsulated Mesenchymal Stem Cells To Mechanical Loading, Augustus Greenwood
Environment And Response Of 3d-Encapsulated Mesenchymal Stem Cells To Mechanical Loading, Augustus Greenwood
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
This thesis explores the micromechanical environment induced when cyclically compressing hydrogels via finite element modeling and experimentally on the impact of loading on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) when encapsulated withing 3D hydrogel matrices. Degenerative joint diseases, characterized by cartilage degradation, present significant challenges due to cartilage's limited self-repair capacity. Innovative approaches, including stem cell-based therapies and engineered biomaterials, have emerged as promising strategies for cartilage repair and regeneration. This work specifically investigates the calibration of a bioreactor, the uniformity of load response across the hydrogel constructs via finite element modeling (FEM), and the stress response of MSCs subjected to various …
Role Of Ligand Architecture On Collective Cell Invasion, Amrit Bagchi
Role Of Ligand Architecture On Collective Cell Invasion, Amrit Bagchi
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
Epithelial cell collectives utilize extra-cellular matrix (ECM) fibers to undergo collective migration critical in regeneration, repair and cancer metastasis. However, very little is known about the various factors which determine the ability of cellular collectives to utilize ECM fibers to undergo these critical processes in-vivo. First part of the dissertation focusses on understanding how cell collectives exploit specific properties, like stiffness and fiber length to undergo collective streaming. It is also unclear how cellular forces, cell-cell adhesion, and velocities are coordinated within streams. To independently tune stiffness and collagen fiber length, we developed new hydrogels and discovered invasion-like streaming of …
Synthetic Gene Circuits For Self-Regulating And Temporal Delivery Of Anti-Inflammatory Biologic Drugs In Engineered Tissues, Lara Pferdehirt
Synthetic Gene Circuits For Self-Regulating And Temporal Delivery Of Anti-Inflammatory Biologic Drugs In Engineered Tissues, Lara Pferdehirt
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
The recent advances in the fields of synthetic biology and genome engineering open up new possibilities for creating cell-based therapies. We combined these tools to target repair of articular cartilage, a tissue that lacks a natural ability to regenerate, in the presence of arthritic diseases. To this end, we developed cell-based therapies that harness disease pathways and the unique properties of articular cartilage for prescribed, localized, and controlled delivery of biologics, creating the next generation of cell therapies and new classes of synthetic circuits. We created tissue engineered cartilage from murine induced pluripotent stem cells that had the ability to …
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 …
Mechanosensitive Epithelial Cell Scattering And Migration On Layered Matrices, Christopher Michael Walter
Mechanosensitive Epithelial Cell Scattering And Migration On Layered Matrices, Christopher Michael Walter
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
Epithelial cells form multi-layered tissue scaffolding that makes up every organ in the body. Along with epithelial cells, the basement membrane (BM) and connective tissue are composed of various proteins that sculpt the organs and protect them from foreign macromolecules. Epithelial cells respond to various cues, both chemical and mechanical, from their surrounding matrices to aid in maintenance and repair of these layers through degradation and deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. In cancer progression, epithelial cells lose their normal function of supporting tissue structure and instead adopt more aggressive behaviors through an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of their cellular traits. …