Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Designing Predictive Mathematical Models For The Metabolic Pathways Associated With Polyhydroxybutyrate Synthesis In Escherichia Coli, Angela Dixon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plastics are a versatile and widely used material. However, traditional plastics are derived from petrochemicals and are not biodegradable. Polymers synthesized from microorganisms that have similar properties to plastic are potential biodegradable replacements. The objective of this project is to use mathematical modeling as a tool to engineer a strain of bacteria optimized for the production of bio-plastics.

Production costs can be reduced by using a bacterial strain specifically optimized for bio-plastic production. By reducing production costs, bio-plastics will be able to commercially compete with traditional plastics. Society will benefit as bio-plastics replace traditional plastics. Fossil fuels will not be …

Combating Antibiotic Resistance Through Development Of A Novel Antimicrobial Delivery Vehicle, Alex Hatch

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

A thermoreversible gel for antimicrobial agent delivery would provide a novel platform suitable for medical applications from persistent infections arising from localized biofilms. Thermoreversible gels could be used to coat medical implants, to inject for subdermal treatments, or to implement in topical applications. FDA approved Pluronics® form thermoreversible gels and certain Pluronics® display inherent varying degrees of antimicrobial activity. Pluronics® have been shown to affect efflux pumps, and reduce ATP levels within the bacterial cell. In combination with antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals, Pluronics® have been used to sequester drugs and act as a delivery vehicle. With advances in nanomedicine, nanoparticles …