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Full-Text Articles in Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering

Development Of Collagen-Based Scaffolds For Differentiation Of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Siteng Fang Jul 2018

Development Of Collagen-Based Scaffolds For Differentiation Of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Siteng Fang

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Collagen hydrogel has been broadly studied and applied in engineering 3D scaffold materials in tissue engineering. A collagen hydrogel can provide cells with a porous and soft environment to proliferate and differentiate. However, lacking mechanical stiffness and shrinkage resistance made it a challenge to sustain shape and size during a long stem cell differentiation process. In addition, a cytocompatible scaffold for human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-laden culture has not been fully investigated. The goal of this study is to develop stable and biocompatible collagen-based scaffolds that are suitable for direct seeding and lineage progression of iPSCs. In this work, …


Designing Synthetic Environments To Control Valvular Interstital Cells In Vitro, Kent E. Coombs May 2018

Designing Synthetic Environments To Control Valvular Interstital Cells In Vitro, Kent E. Coombs

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Aortic valve disease (AVD) is a large contributor to health costs in the United States affecting 2.8% of the population greater than 75 years old. With a growing elderly population due to medical advances, AVD will continue to rise in prevalence over time. Current treatments for AVD are insufficient due to a lack of preventative therapies and the bioprosthetic valves used for surgical replacement have major limitations. Tissue engineered heart valves (TEHVs) present an ideal solution to current AVD needs because of their biocompatibility, capability to integrate with the host’s tissue, and ability to utilize the natural repair mechanisms of …


Regulation Of Pituitary Progenitor Differentiation By Β-Catenin, Julie Leann Youngblood Jan 2018

Regulation Of Pituitary Progenitor Differentiation By Β-Catenin, Julie Leann Youngblood

Theses and Dissertations

The pituitary gland is a critical organ that is necessary for many physiological processes, including growth, reproduction, and stress response. These vital processes are regulated through the secretion of pituitary hormones from specialized cell types. Pituitary hormone-producing cells arise from a common pool of pituitary progenitors in the developing Rathke’s pouch, and mutations that disrupt the formation and differentiation of pituitary progenitors often result in hypopituitarism, pituitary adenomas, or craniopharyngiomas. Thus, it is necessary to determine the mechanisms of pituitary development in order to understand the ways in which these congenital defects and tumors develop and disrupt pituitary function. Canonical …