Biomaterials Commons^™

The Use Of An In Vitro 3d Melanoma Model To Predict In Vivo Plasmid Transfection Using Electroporation, Benadette Marrero, Richard Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

A large-scale in vitro 3D tumor model was generated to evaluate gene delivery procedures in vivo. This 3D tumor model consists of a "tissue-like" spheroid that provides a micro-environment supportive of melanoma proliferation, allowing cells to behave similarly to cells in vivo. This functional spheroid measures approximately 1 cm in diameter and can be used to effectively evaluate plasmid transfection when testing various electroporation (EP) electrode applicators. In this study, we identified EP conditions that efficiently transfect green fluorescent protein (GFP) and interleukin 15 (IL-15) plasmids into tumor cells residing in the 3D construct. We found that plasmids …

A Preliminary Study On The Potential Of Manuka Honey And Platelet-Rich Plasma In Wound Healing, Scott A. Sell, Patricia S. Wolfe, Andrew J. Spence, Isaac A. Rodriguez, Jennifer M. Mccoll, Rebecca L. Petrella, Koyal Garg, Jeffery J. Ericksen, Gary L. Bowlin

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Aim. The purpose of this study was to determine the in vitro response of cells critical to the wound healing process in culture media supplemented with a lyophilized preparation rich in growth factors (PRGF) and Manuka honey. Materials and Methods. This study utilized cell culture media supplemented with PRGF, as well as whole Manuka honey and the medical-grade Medihoney (MH), a Manuka honey product. The response of human fibroblasts (hDF), macrophages, and endothelial cells (hPMEC) was evaluated, with respect to cell proliferation, chemotaxis, collagen matrix production, and angiogenic potential, when subjected to culture with media containing PRGF, MH, Manuka honey, …

Effect Of Extracellular Matrix (Ecm) Protein Micropatterns On The Behavior Of Human Neuroblastoma Cells, Ishwari Poudel

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Recent advances in patterning techniques and emerging surface microtechnologies have allowed cell micropatterning to control spatial location of the cells on a surface as well as cell shape, attachment area, and number of contacting neighbor cells. These parameters play important roles in cell cellular behaviors. Cell micropatterning has thus become one of the most important strategies for biomedical applications, such as, tissue engineering, diagnostic immunoassays, lab-on-chip devices, bio-sensing, etc., and cell biology studies as well. For neuronal cells, there have been attempts to distribute neuronal cells on specific patterns to control cell-to-cell interaction. However, there have been very limited understanding …

Differential Gene Expression To Investigate The Effects Of Low-Level Electrochemical Currents On Bacillus Subtilis., Robert Szkotak, Tagbo H R Niepa, Nikhil Jawrani, Jeremy L. Gilbert, Marcus B. Jones, Dacheng Ren

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering - All Scholarship

With the emergence and spread of multidrug resistant bacteria, effective methods to eliminate both planktonic bacteria and those embedded in surface-attached biofilms are needed. Electric currents at uA-mA/cm2 range are known to reduce the viability of bacteria. However, the mechanism of such effects is still not well understood. In this study, Bacillus subtilis was used as the model Gram-positive species to systematically investigate the effects of electrochemical currents on bacteria including the morphology, viability, and gene expression of planktonic cells, and viability of biofilm cells. The data suggest that weak electrochemical currents can effectively eliminate B. subtilis both as planktonic …

Improved Manufacturing Methods Of Bovine Femur Samples For Ultrasonic Testing And Assessment Of Materials Through Contract Angle Measurement, Kevin Mathew Lopez Galang

Biomedical Engineering

At California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), the Biomedical Engineering department (BMED) requires its students to take the course listed as “BMED 420: Principles of Biomaterial Designs.” BMED 420 has a required laboratory section every week throughout the duration of the course that is meant to be a supplemental tool for learning. During the lab sections, students perform experiments and exercises that are currently being implemented in the industry. Despite accuracy of the methods and experiments relative to their use in the industry, there is always room for improvement. The objective of this project will illustrate …

Impact Isolation Of Training Shoes, Nicci Daly, Stephen Tiernan

Conference Papers

ABSTRACT The increase in popularity of physical activities from fun runs to competitive marathons has lead to a huge industry in sports footwear, which is now worth $20bn annually. There is a resultant increase in injuries, largely due to the repeated and prolonged nature of the impact forces experienced by the leg. Clinical data indicates that the knee is the most common site of running related injury, followed by the lower leg and foot. The complexity of the ankle structure means that injuries are acute and the success rates of replacements are very low. Therefore research in this area is …

Targeted Multistage Delivery Of Nanoparticles To The Bone Marrow, Aman Mann

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Bone marrow is a target organ site involved in multiple diseases including myeloproliferative disorders and hematologic malignancies and metastases from breast and prostate. Most of these diseases are characterized with poor quality of life, and the treatment options are only palliative due to lack of delivery mechanisms for systemically injected drugs which results in dose limitation to protect the healthy hematopoietic cells. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop effective therapeutic strategies that allow for selective delivery of therapeutic payload to the bone marrow. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems provide the opportunity to deliver drugs to the target tissue while …

Structure And Optical Properties Of Self-Assembled Multicomponent Plasmonic Nanogels, Tao Cong, Satvik N. Wani, Peter Anthony Paynter, Radhakrishna Sureshkumar

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering - All Scholarship

Multicomponent plasmonic nanogels (PNGs) capable of broadband absorption of light in the 400-700 nm wavelength range were synthesized by the self-assembly of metal nanoparticles with wormlike surfactant micelles. Small angle x-ray scattering and rheological experiments suggest that the nanoparticles bridge micelle fragments to aid the formation a stable gel phase with exceptional color uniformity. Their optical absorbance could be robustly tuned by changing the nanoparticle type (Au/Ag), size, shape, and/or concentration. The PNGs have relatively low viscosity and are thermoreversible. Potential applications to the manufacturing of coatings and interfaces for solar energy harvesting and reconfigurable optical devices can be envisioned.

Characterization And Implementation Of A Decellularized Porcine Vessel As A Biologic Scaffold For A Blood Vessel Mimic, Aubrey N. Smith

Master's Theses

Every 34 seconds, someone in the United States suffers from a heart attack.  Most heart attacks are caused by atherosclerotic build up in the coronary arteries, occluding normal blood flow.  Balloon angioplasty procedures in combination with a metal stent often result in successful restoration of normal blood flow.  However, bare metal stents often lead to restenosis and other complications.  To compensate for this problem, industry has created drug-eluting stents to promote healing of the artery wall post stenting.  These stents are continually advancing toward better drug-eluting designs and methods, resulting in a need for fast and reliable pre-clinical testing modalities. …

Development Of An In-Vitro Hyperglycemic Tissue Engineered Blood Vessel Mimic, Brian C. Wong

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Characterization And Implementation Of Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound As A Tool To Apply Physical Load To Scaffolds And Bone Cells For Fracture Repair, Scott Frazee

Master's Theses

One current challenge in treating bone fractures is the effective treatment of non-unions and delayed unions. Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound (LIPUS) has been approved by the FDA to treat fresh fractures since 1994 and non-unions since 2000 and is an attractive treatment option because it is non-invasive. The mechanism by which it works, however, is not well understood; what is known is largely confined to the resultant changes in chemical output of cells. In this thesis several concepts and techniques were brought together to investigate the following hypothesis: LIPUS produces a measurable physical load that results in measurable deformation and …

Mammary Epithelial Cell Growth On A Three-Dimensional Scaffold In An Operating Bioreactor, Melissa Marie Davalle

Master's Theses

Mammary epithelial cells are highly efficient secreting cells. With genetic engineering, the uses of these cells could be endless. Research is being conducted on these cells to determine their full potential to the biotech industry.

This paper investigates whether bovine epithelial mammary cells can survive in glutaraldehyde-treated gelatin tubes in an operating bioreactor. Many bioreactors were developed and tested to suit the needs of the cells. Procedures were created and carried out to ensure sterility of the bioreactors. Bovine mammary epithelial cells were implanted in the bioreactors and samples of their growth were taken over time.

Design And Development Of Two Test Fixtures To Test The Longitudinal And Transverse Tensile Properties Of Small Diameter Tubular Polymers, Carolyn Berry

Master's Theses

Hundreds of thousands of vascular bypass grafts are implanted in the United States every year, but there has yet to be an ideal graft material to substitute for one’s own autologous vessel. Many synthetic materials have been shown to be successful vessel replacements; however, none have been proven to exhibit the same mechanical properties as native vessels, one of the most important criteria in selecting a vascular graft material. Part of this issue is due to the fact that, currently, there is no “gold standard” for testing the longitudinal and transverse tensile properties of small diameter tubular materials. While there …

Electrochemical Investigation Of Chromium Nanocarbide Coated Ti-6al-4v And Co-Cr-Mo Alloy Substrates, Viswanathan Swaminathan, Haitong Zeng, Daniel Lawrynowicz, Zongtao Zhang, Jeremy L. Gilbert

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering - All Scholarship

This study investigated the electrochemical behavior of chromium nano-carbide cermet coating applied on Ti–6Al–4V and Co–Cr–Mo alloys for potential application as wear and corrosion resistant bearing surfaces. The cermet coating consisted of a highly heterogeneous combination of carbides embedded in a metal matrix. The main factors studied were the effect of substrate (Ti–6Al–4V vs. Co–Cr–Mo), solution conditions (physiological vs. 1 M H₂O₂ of pH 2), time of immersion (1 vs. 24 h) and post coating treatments (passivation and gamma sterilization). The coatings were produced with high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) thermal spray technique at atmospheric conditions to …

Using Thermally Coupled Reactive Distillation Columns In Biodiesel Production, Nghi Nguyen, Yaşar Demirel

Yaşar Demirel Publications

Production of ethyl dodecanoate (biodiesel) using lauric acid and methanol with a solid acid catalyst of sulfated zirconia is studied by using two distillation sequences. In the first sequence, the methanol recovery column follows the reactive distillation column. In the second sequence, the reactive distillation and methanol recovery columns are thermally coupled. Thermally coupled distillation sequences may consume less energy by allowing interconnecting vapor and liquid streams between the two columns to elminate reboiler or condenser or both. Here we study the thermally coupled side-stripper reactive distillation and eliminate the condenser of the reactive distillation column. Both the sequences are …

An Investigation Of Process Parameters To Optimize The Fiber Diameter Of Electrospun Vascular Scaffolds Through Experimental Design, Steffi Wong

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Rapid Cell Extraction In Aqueous Two-Phase Microdroplet Systems, Kalpana Vijayakumar, Shelly Gulati, Andrew J. De Mello, Joshua B. Edel

All Faculty Articles - School of Engineering and Computer Science

Distinguishing specific cells is an essential technique in cell research and clinical diagnostics. We report a novel method to passively isolate and extract cells in a microfluidic device. We utilise a droplet-based microfluidic system to generate an aqueous two phase system in which aqueous droplets consist of two phases in the form of a double emulsion. Specifically, we generate PEG droplets that completely encapsulate DEX droplets within a microfluidic channel. Target cells can be introduced directly into the droplets and driven to partition to the more favourable phase, whilst still being contained within the aqueous droplet. Human T lymphoma cells, …

The Gel Documentation System: A Cornerstone To The Implementation Of The Introduction To Biotechnology And Introduction To Bioinformatics Cross-Disciplinary Course Series, Marcy Kelly, Gregory Lampard, Constance Knapp

Cornerstone 3 Reports : Interdisciplinary Informatics

No abstract provided.

Synthesis Of An Endothelial Cell Mimicking Surface Containing Thrombomodulin And Endothelial Protein C Receptor, Karl E. Kador

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Synthetic materials for use in blood contacting applications have been studied for many years with limited success. One of the main areas of need for these materials is the design of synthetic vascular grafts for use in the hundreds of thousands of patients who have coronary artery bypass grafting, many without suitable veins for autologous grafts. The design of these grafts is constrained by two common modes of failure, the formation of intimal hyperplasia (IH) and thrombosis. IH formation has been previously linked to a mismatching of the mechanical properties of the graft and has been overcome by creating grafts …

Influence Of Compressible Aerogel Electrodes On The Properties Of An Electrochemical Cell, Chris Sponheimer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the biomedical field the need for intra organ pressure measurement can only be facilitated by adapting existing pressure sensing technology to the specific tissues under test. The customization of these sensors has only driven up cost and the need to explore new technologies has become increasingly more important. For this dissertation, we explore the use of a new technology, particularly electrochemical pressure sensing to provide a low-cost pressure sensor to fill this need. Preliminary testing showed that electrically conductive polymers exhibited a change in voltage when pressurized if bubbles were first electrolyzed in the gel creating an aerogel, and …