Biomedical Devices and Instrumentation Commons^™

Patterned Magnetic And Plasmonic Nanostructures In Microfluidics For Extracellular Vesicle Screening And Drug Loading, John H. Molinski

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), once dismissed as shuttles for cellular waste, have emerged as vital nanoscale biomolecules, facilitating intercellular communication through transfer of host-cell specific molecular cargo. Tumor-derived EVs, released by cancer cells, hold potential as diagnostic biomolecules due to their links to cancer cells, abundance within biofluids, and potential for direct extraction and detection. More broadly, EVs from a wide array of cellular origins have been explored as therapeutic carriers, stemming from their innate function as cargo carriers, high biocompatibility, and their ability to evade immune detection. However, harnessing EVs for diagnostic or therapeutic applications necessitates efficient isolation, purification, and …

Manufacturing Silicone In-House For The Creation Of Customized Neurovascular Blood Vessel Mimics, Jacob Wilbert Perisho

Master's Theses

The Tissue Engineering Lab at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo focuses on creating tissue-engineered Blood Vessel Mimics (BVMs) designed for the preclinical testing of neurovascular devices. These BVMs are composed of silicone models, representing anatomically accurate neurovasculatures, that are sodded with vascular cell types and then cultivated in bioreactors (which maintain physiologic conditions). These silicone models are currently sourced externally from industry partners, so the primary goal of this thesis was to develop the means and methods for the Tissue Engineering Lab to manufacture silicone models in-house.

The first aim of this thesis was to develop and explore …

Rockin’ Rehab: Novel Rocking Chair For Children With Spinal Cord Injury To Enable Trunk Muscle Activation And Detect Muscle Activation Patterns., Johnathan Jay George

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Activity-based locomotor training improves trunk control in children with spinal cord injury (SCI), and there is need for additional activities to allow these children to activate trunk muscles. The purpose of this research was to design, fabricate, and evaluate a rocking chair for children with SCI, and to investigate the activation of muscles during use. Sensorization of the chair to confirm muscle activation is also explored. Methods: Quality Function Deployment (QFD) design methodologies identified and ranked needs and features for the rocking chair. A design was developed and evaluated via finite element analysis. The chair was fabricated and tested …

Real-Time Measurements From Wearable Sensors To Enhance Stability On Uneven Terrain, Sophie Copelin

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The presented thesis is a study of sensation associated with inversion/eversion movement about the anterior/posterior axis. The long-term goal is to create a system that provides feedback to a prosthesis user, so their chances of falling is decreased. This feedback system would use wearable sensors to detect certain angles, so that sensory feedback could be provided. The study aimed to determine if Xsens Movella DOT sensors could be used in a system like this, so the accuracy of the Xsens Movella DOT sensors was assessed and the difference in angles that could be determined by them when compared to that …

Database And Machine Learning Model For Classifying Autism Spectrum Disorder From Smartphone Based Electroretinography, Rory Harris

Honors Scholar Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that negatively affects a patient’s cognitive and communication aptitude and, therefore, can severely impact that patient’s quality of life. Because of this, early diagnosis is paramount. In recent studies, electroretinography (ERG), which is a measure of the retina’s electrical response to a brief flash of light into the eye, has shown promise in detecting ASD. Access to these scans can provide early diagnosis, improving well-being. Current ERG devices are very expensive due to their on board processing capabilities. This paper aims to create an ERG device using a smartphone as the main …

Characterizing The Molecular And Cellular Changes Of Senescent Cells Induced By Diverse Stressors In 2d And 3d Microenvironments, Apoorva Chauhan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Aging is a risk factor for myriad diseases and is often associated with the accumulation of senescent cells. Cellular senescence, a process of irreversible cell cycle arrest, is associated with various changes in cellular morphology and function. While senescence will occur naturally in a time-dependent manner, it can be prematurely induced by various extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Most senescence studies model cell behavior in two-dimensional (2D) microenvironments; however, these models are not physiologically relevant. In this study, the effects of naturally occurring reactive oxygen species (ROS) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and commonly used chemotherapy drugs, doxorubicin and palbociclib, on cellular senescence …

Advancements Of A Breast Tissue Marker And Localization System, Azrin Jamison

All Theses

Breast cancer has become the most prominent cancer worldwide in women. Annual mammograms are encouraged for women of high risk to increase early detection allowing for lumpectomies rather than mastectomies to occur. Prior to a lumpectomy, a biopsy must be taken to determine if the tissue is cancerous, and a breast cancer biopsy marker (BBM) is left in the region of possible cancerous tissue. Wire localization has been the gold standard for localizing these BBMs. However, due to the reported patient discomfort and logistical inefficiencies faced by healthcare providers (HCP), non-wire localization solutions have been recently developed. This study aims …

Hand Movement Analysis For Surgical Suturing Skill Assessment, Amir Mehdi Shayan

All Theses

To enhance patient safety, surgical education is increasingly incorporating simulation for formative skills assessment and training. However, many standardized assessment tools rely on human raters for performance assessment, which is resource-intensive and subjective. Simulators that provide automated and objective metrics from sensor data can address this limitation. This thesis presents an instrumented bench suturing simulator, patterned after the Clock Face (CF) radial suturing model from the Fundamentals of Vascular Surgery (FVS), for automated and objective assessment of open suturing skills by particularly focusing on biomechanical analysis of hand movements. For this research, 97 participants (35 attending surgeons and fellows, 32 …

Microwave Imaging Technique For Breast Cancer Detection, Nure Alam Chowdhury

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is a global problem, and it is inevitable to detect cancerous cells at early stages. In recent years, microwave imaging technology has been widely applied in biomedical applications for its non-ionizing radiation. In this study, we design a micro-strip patch antenna with an inverted T-type notch in the partial ground to detect tumor cells inside the human breast. The size of the current antenna is small enough (18 mm × 21 mm × 1.6 mm) to distribute around the breast phantom. The operating frequency has been observed from 6–14 GHz with a minimum return loss of −61.18 dB …

Ambulatory Electrocardiographic Monitoring, Genesis V. Garay, Arath Sanchez

ATU Scholars Symposium

•Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the world's leading cause of death, especially prevalent in low- and middle-income countries. Up to 80% of premature heart attacks and strokes are preventable. •Current ambulatory electrocardiographic (ECG) monitors, while effective in diagnosing heart rhythm issues, are often cost-prohibitive and have limitations like short monitoring periods, user-initiated recording, and offline data analysis. •This poster summarizes the foundation of the creation of a monitoring system that attempts to address these issues.

Redesign Of Robotic Walking Training Device To Involve Zero Gravity Capabilities And Daily Activities, Chad Ballard

Mechanical Engineering Theses

Many patients struggle with disabilities that hinder their ability to walk. This project aimed to create a leg assembly capable of variable gravity so that it could be combined with a Robotic Walking Training Device, and lead to better rehabilitation options for patients. This was accomplished by deriving equations of joint torque, creating circuit diagrams for Arduino systems, modeling leg assemblies in CAD, and finally combining it to create a working small-scale prototype. The result of the prototype testing showed accurate movement on each joint, especially the ankle and knee segments, to create virtual zero gravity. In addition to this, …

Finger Contracture Relief Sensorized Splint, Katia Campos, Alfonso Gonzalez, Olivia Rojas

Posters - 2024

Hand traumas may result from an accident, a burn, or even something far more common like a jammed finger. Due to the pain, the hand is immobilized and this lack of movement, in addition to the healing processes, can lead to a deformity. The specific deformity addressed in this project is a Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Flexion Contracture, which is when the middle knuckles of the fingers are stuck in a flexed position. Contractions can occur after trauma or certain illnesses. It is the shortening of muscles, tendons, skin, and nearby soft tissues that causes the joints to become very stiff. …

Towards A Wearable Device For Measuring Impedance Plethysmography Of The Radial Artery, Pritom Chowdhury

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Recent advancements in bioimpedance technology have demonstrated significant promise in the application of cardiac health monitoring. This research explores the design and development of a forearm-based wearable bioimpedance device for non-invasive measurement of heart rate and respiratory rate at an accuracy level comparable to medical-grade monitors. It utilizes a tetrapolar electrode configuration to analyze bioimpedance changes in the radial artery due to blood flow.

An ongoing aspect of this work involves the preliminary development of an embedded framework intended to integrate signal generation, acquisition, and processing within the device to achieve compact and efficient system design, anticipated to contribute to …

Surgical Navigation In Image-Guided Transoral Robotic Surgery, Yuan Shi

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is a minimally invasive approach in treating head and neck cancers and has demonstrated improved surgical outcomes with reduced morbidity when compared to traditional open surgery. However, the lack of haptic feedback makes it more difficult to assess the tumor extent and locate critical structures (e.g., artery and nerves). In standard-of-care TORS, preoperative imaging is used as guidance; however, it becomes inaccurate intraoperatively: the patient’s neck is hyper-extended, surgical instruments are introduced, and soft tissues deform significantly. As a result, the surgeon is required to mentally predict intraoperative deformation, which can lead to bleeding complications and …

Toward Electrical Impedance Sensing Surgical Drill For Tissue Boundary Detection, Harshavardhan Devaraj

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Dental implantation is an increasingly common procedure used to treat missing teeth. However, surgical drilling to place the implant poses a high risk of injury to critical anatomy, such as inferior alveolar nerve injury or maxillary sinus perforation. A real-time surgical feedback system sensing proximity of these critical anatomy could reduce injury risks. This dissertation investigates the development of such a system that incorporates an electrical impedance sensor into the tip of a surgical drill.

A simulation framework based on finite element method (FEM) was developed to optimize the sensor as it approached a high impedance boundary. The accuracy of …

The Effect Of A Constitutive Formulation On Limb Flexion-Induced Stresses In The Human Femoropopliteal Artery: A Patient-Specific Study, Ali Ahmadi, Anastasia Desyatova

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The Effect of a Constitutive Formulation on Limb Flexion-Induced Stresses in the Human Femoropopliteal Artery: a Patient-Specific Study

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) involves the development of atherosclerotic lesions that restrict the flow of blood to tissues downstream. The femoropopliteal artery (FPA) experiences complex mechanical deformations during daily activities, potentially contributing to the prevalence of PAD and unfavorable treatment outcomes. These deformations generate significant intramural stresses and strains, resulting in arterial injury, disease progression, and restenosis following treatment. Computational modeling offers a way to improve the repair of the FPA; however, the accuracy of these simulations relies on the selection of …

Engineering Nanofibers: Laboratory Characterization, Microstructural Analysis, And Image Processing Insights, Sayed Ahmadreza Razian, Mohammad Arjomandi, Kaspars Maleckis

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Polymer nanofibers have attracted high interest in a wide array of applications, including biomaterial scaffolding, textiles, sensors, reinforcement in composites, and filtration systems. Many of these applications combine nanofibers into non-woven fabrics for better properties and easier manipulation. The properties and performance of nanofiber-based fabrics are affected by various microstructure parameters, including fiber alignment, diameter, and gap sizes between the nanofibers. These structural parameters can be controlled by adjusting various process parameters during manufacturing process, but the exact process parameter-microstructure relationships vary depending on the polymer system and need to be studied individually. The goal of this study is to …

Development Of An In Vitro 3-Dimensional Co-Culture Human Colorectal Cancer Model In Microfluidic Devices, Abby Jens

Master's Theses

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, with the relative 5-year survival rate for distant stage cancer being only 14%. The most common treatment for colorectal cancer is with chemotherapeutic drugs; however, the discovery of these drugs is costly, time-consuming, and often requires the use of animal models that do not yield results that translate to clinical trials. Due to these shortcomings, researchers seek to develop physiologically relevant in vitro tumor models that more accurately mimic the tumor microenvironment for cheaper and faster high-throughput drug screening. The aim of this research was …

Development Of A Cell Culture Incubator Capable Of Providing A Hypoxic Environment, Grant Austin Coe

Master's Theses

In order to perform more robust and physiologically relevant research, the Microphysiological Systems laboratory required a method of culturing cells where the level of oxygen could be adjusted. To fulfill this need, I designed and manufactured a hypoxic cell culture incubator. I employed a Quality Function Deployment to understand the customer requirements and convert them into engineering specifications. Based on these specifications, I created various conceptual designs. I evaluated the conceptual designs as compared to existing products and decided to move forward with the control system separated from a small, standard chamber. I developed the circuitry schematics for the temperature …

Tourniquet Pressure Gradient Measurement Apparatus, Luis Enrique Perez, Elsa Elizabeth Bates

Biomedical Engineering

The goal of this project was to design a device that would measure pressure gradient data across the width of an elastic and inelastic tourniquet cuff using a human limb model. The main customer requirements that were focused on were to accurately measure the pressure from a tourniquet, keep the cost down, and be easy to use. The targeted design specifications were to read pressure values ranging from 0-400 mmHg, keep the test length under 5 minutes, and to keep the cost of materials under $400. The design of the device ended up consisting of 5 IV pouches that were …