Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Substrate Delivery Of Embedded Liposomes, Srivatsan Kidambi, Stephen L. Hayward

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

This invention relates to compositions useful for localized and sustained release of therapeutic agents, and more particularly to functionalized liposomes embedded in a poly electrolyte multilayer. Methods of preparing the compositions, methods of treating diseases, devices, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compositions are also provided.

Convergence Properties Of Solutions Of A Length-Structured Density-Dependent Model For Fish, Geigh Zollicoffer

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal

We numerically study solutions to a length-structured matrix model for fish populations in which the probability that a fish grows into the next length class is a decreasing nonlinear function of the total biomass of the population. We make conjectures about the convergence properties of solutions to this equation, and give numerical simulations which support these conjectures. We also study the distribution of biomass in the different age classes as a function of the total biomass.

The Development Of A Novel Blood-Brain Barrier, Organ-On-A-Chip System And The Identification Of Erythrocytes As A Key Contributor To Age-Associated Neurological Decline, Payam Amiri

KGI Theses and Dissertations

Advancements in modern medicine have greatly extended human life expectancy. However, with the onset of age-associated conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune disorders, and certain cancers, healthy aging is becoming an increasingly pressing issue. Blood exchanges between young and old partners demonstrate old blood can cause detrimental effect to the young animal, notably on the brain tissue. However, the complexity of blood makes it difficult to identify what role the individual factors play in the aggregate observed effect. This dissertation seeks to explore the potential effects of erythrocytes on the brain as we age. Erythrocyte morphology and rigidity changes as …

Detecting Viral Particles In Vitro Using Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry, Anie-Pier Samson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Covid-19 pandemic is a powerful example of just how damaging the rapid spread of an unknown virus can be. Viruses have the ability to spread rapidly amongst individuals if not treated and controlled. The first key step towards treatment is the timely and specific diagnosis of the virus causing the infection. An innovative method for the rapid detection of viral particles in solution consists of tagging the viral particles paired with using photoacoustic flow cytometry to irradiate the particles and get a signal. The high affinity of Streptavidin for Biotin can be used to bind Streptavidin-coated microspheres to biotinylated …

Real-Time Monitoring Of Cell Death Progress Using Capacitance Spectroscopy, Suyang Wu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biologics, including the monoclonal antibody (mAb), has experienced rapid development in the last decade. However, the price of biologics is often prohibitively high because of the low process efficiency. Delaying the inevitable cell death improves the productivity of upstream bioprocessing, whose success relies on monitoring the cell death onset that indicates the timing for preventive actions.

This study proposes to develop a real-time monitoring model that quantifies the dying cell percentage in lab-scale bioreactors using capacitance spectroscopy. The capacitance spectroscopy contains cell death-related information due to various physical properties changes during the cell death process, e.g., cytoplasmic conductivity change. The …

Development Of Polymeric Cxcr4 Targeting Carriers For Sirna Delivery To Treat Acute Kidney Injury, Weimin Tang

Theses & Dissertations

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major kidney disease that is characterized by a sudden loss of renal function which manifests by a decrease in urine output and an increase in serum creatinine. AKI is a global healthcare burden associated with high morbidity, mortality, and increasing cost. Currently there are no effective pharmacological treatments available. Apoptosis induced by p53 has been demonstrated as an important pathological mechanism for the development of AKI. Meanwhile, CXCR4/SDF-1 axis has been associated with the inflammation during AKI, and CXCR4 is overexpressed on injured tubules. This dissertation hypothesized that polycations with CXCR4 targeting ability could …

Characterization Of Phase Behavior In Idp Solutions By Uv-Vis Spectrophotometry And Phase Volume Fraction Measurements In Capillaries, Qing Sun

Biomedical Engineering ETDs

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) play vital roles in cell signaling and regulation by changing conformation dynamically under various stimulus. Thus, it is crucial to understand their physical properties in vitro especially liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Here, we first used UV-vis spectrophotometry to investigate two of IDPs' physical properties – transition temperature (Tt) and coacervate size. This deeper insight allows us to further understand the dynamics of phase growth. We then constructed a binodal curve in the phase diagram by measurement of volume ratios in phase separated IDP solution in glass capillaries.

The Rotator Cuff Tendon-To-Bone Interface: Maturation, Aging, And 3d Bioprinting For Regeneration, Xiping Jiang

Theses & Dissertations

Rotator cuff tendon injuries often occur at the tendon-to-bone interface (i.e., enthesis) area with a high prevalence for the elderly population. In addition, regeneration of the gradient structure of the enthesis is still a significant clinical challenge. Our studies aim to identify the histological, molecular, and biomechanical alterations of the rotator cuff enthesis with maturation and aging, and develop a novel therapeutic method using three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technique to regenerate a functional enthesis. Striking variations of the entheses were observed both histologically and biomechanically during the maturation process. The histological features did not show many differences at the insertion site …

Deep Learning Approach To Improved Image Quality For Medical Diagnostics, Olivia Loesch, Katie Leyba, Halyley Chan, Craig Goergen

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

The United Nation’s health-related Sustainable Development Goals are difficult to achieve in low- and middle-income countries due to workforce shortages and inadequate health surveillance systems. However, with the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and computer algorithms, it is possible to apply AI to healthcare technologies to improve progress towards these UN standards. This project aims at using and improving computer algorithms and deep learning to aid in the extraction of important structural and functional information from murine carotid artery ultrasound and photoacoustic images. First, we created a large database of simulated photoacoustic images to optimize the algorithms. These images were …

Plasmonically-Enhanced Dna-Rna Hybrid-Based Bioassay For Amplification-Free Quantification Of Sars-Cov-2, Yuxiong Liu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COIVD-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a highly infectious respiratory illness. Within just a few months, it spread around the whole world and became a global pandemic. Real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) works as a gold standard method diagnosing COVID-19 with high sensitivity and specificity. But due to the programs of RT-PCR, it usually takes more than 24 hours to get the results while specialized devices are also required. False-negative results can happen as well using RT-PCR which increase the risk of spreading coronavirus. To promote quicker detection of COVID-19, …

Hydrology And Water Quality Analysis In The Big Black River Watershed, Mississippi, Moniba Shabbir

Theses and Dissertations

Evaluating hydrology and water quality for the Big Black River Watershed in Mississippi was accomplished by using the Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Source (BASINS 4.5), Loading Simulation Program in C++ (LSPC), and Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP) models. The watershed model calibration was originally accomplished by using historical data collected from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The watershed model was calibrated using data from 2000 through 2018 in order to quantify stream flow and point source discharges under a variety of hydrologic conditions. The model predicted response of hydrology was consistent with the observed data range. The …

Design Of Plastic Contaminant Eliminator In Seed Cotton, Joshua H. Tandio

Theses and Dissertations

Plastic contamination in cotton is a problem in cotton industry and researchers have worked on this problem with different approaches. This thesis documents the design of mechanical and electronic real-time systems for detecting and removing plastic contaminants. The mechanical system was designed to expose plastic embedded inside the seed cotton to the sensor and to separate plastic contaminated cotton from the process stream. The detection system consisted of an embedded computer interfaced with a USB camera and Neural Network (NN) software running in it. Two NN models were tested, a transfer learning model and a built-from-scratch original model. The original …

Effectiveness Of Cannabidiol And Resveratrol Against Diesel Exhaust Particle-Induced Lung Cell Cytotoxicity, Emily Brothersen

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Environmental air pollution poses a significant health risk to individuals across the world. Diesel exhaust particles (DEPs), a major component of air pollution, have been shown to cause lung damage leading to cancer, respiratory infections, and premature death. Antioxidants, such as resveratrol, have previously demonstrated protective properties against DEP-induced cytotoxicity and reactive oxygen species. Cannabinoids extracted from hemp species have also been found to have powerful antioxidant properties, though these properties have not been thoroughly explored. In this study, A549 human lung carcinoma cells were used as a cellular model to determine the effectiveness of cannabinoids’ antioxidant properties against DEP-induced …

Inter-Subject Correlation While Listening To Minimalist Music: A Study Of Electrophysiological And Behavioral Responses To Steve Reich’S Piano Phase, Tysen Dauer, Duc T. Nguyen, Nick Gang, Jacek P. Dmochowski, Jonathan Berger, Blair Kaneshiro

Publications and Research

Musical minimalism utilizes the temporal manipulation of restricted collections of rhythmic, melodic, and/or harmonic materials. One example, Steve Reich’s Piano Phase, offers listeners readily audible formal structure with unpredictable events at the local level. For example, pattern recurrences may generate strong expectations which are violated by small temporal and pitch deviations. A hyper-detailed listening strategy prompted by these minute deviations stands in contrast to the type of listening engagement typically cultivated around functional tonal Western music. Recent research has suggested that the inter-subject correlation (ISC) of electroencephalographic (EEG) responses to natural audio-visual stimuli objectively indexes a state of “engagement,” demonstrating …

A Survey Of Stainless Steel In Medical And Surgical Application, Noah Slack, Clint Balch

ME 4133/6133 Mechanical Metallurgy

Stainless steels can be separated into four families based on the microstructure of the material: Austenitic, Ferritic, Martensitic, and Duplex. Each family provides a specific set of advantages and disadvantages, and material selection should be based on the specific application the material will be used for. For this study, the processing, microstructure, and performance of the four families of stainless steels will be compared in the context of medical device applications. The most important factors in medical device materials are biocompatibility, surface properties, mechanical properties and life span/corrosion resistance. This study will focus on medical devices that will be permanently …

A Highly Versatile Fungal Glucosyltransferase For Specific Production Of Quercetin-7-O-Β-D-Glucoside And Quercetin-3-O-Β-D-Glucoside In Different Hosts, Jie Ren, Wenzhu Tang, Caleb Don Barton, Owen M. Price, Mark Wayne Mortensen, Alexandra Phillips, Banner Wald, Simon Elgin Hulme, Logan Powell Stanley, Joan Hevel, Jixun Zhan

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Glycosylation is an effective way to improve the water solubility of natural products. In this work, a novel glycosyltransferase gene (BbGT) was discovered from Beauveria bassiana ATCC 7159 and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified enzyme was functionally characterized through in vitro enzymatic reactions as a UDP-glucosyltransferase, converting quercetin to five monoglucosylated and one diglucosylated products. The optimal pH and temperature for BbGT are 35 ℃ and 8.0, respectively. The activity of BbGT was stimulated by Ca2+, Mg2+, and Mn2+, but inhibited by Zn2+. BbGT enzyme is flexible and can glycosylate a variety of substrates such as curcumin, …

Novel Approaches For Enhancing Cell Survival And Function In Vivo, Ou Wang

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

FDA has approved several cell-based therapeutics and hundreds of cell therapy clinical trials are ongoing. Cells will be a significant type of medicine after small molecule and protein drugs. However, several obstacles need to be addressed to achieve the widespread use of cellular therapeutics. The first challenge is the low efficacy of cell transplantation due to low retention, survival, integration, and function of cells in vivo. The second challenge is producing a massive number of cells for clinical treatment with cost-effectively and reproducibly technologies.

In this thesis, we proposed and investigated two approaches to address these challenges. To begin …

Development And Characterization Of A Decellularized Neuroinhibitory Scaffold Containing Matrix Bound Nanovesicles, Logan Piening

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Chronic low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability but treatments for LBP are limited. Degeneration of the intervertebral disc leads to loss of neuroinhibitory sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAGs) which allows nerves from dorsal root ganglia (DRG) to grow into the core of the disc, leading to pain. Current treatments for LBP involve drugs that do not target the source of the pain and lack long term efficacy or use invasive surgeries with high complication rates. Treatment with a decellularized tissue scaffold that contains neuroinhibitory components may inhibit nerve growth and prevent disc-associated LBP. Here, a decellularized nucleus pulposus …

Controlled Release Of Multiple Therapeutics From Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses For Post-Cataract/Post-Refractive Surgery And Uveitis Treatment., Stephen A Dipasquale, Biaggio Uricoli, Matthew C Dicerbo, Thea L Brown, Mark Byrne

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

PURPOSE: This work demonstrates seven-day controlled and extended in vitro physiological flow dual release of multiple post-ocular surgery therapeutics from extended-wear contact lenses as a dropless alternative for treatment of uveitis and corneal inflammation, pain, and infection. Lens replacement each week optimizes treatment matching patient recall time with the ability to increase or decrease dosage.

METHODS: Lenses were synthesized using molecular imprinting to create lenses with macromolecular memory for diclofenac sodium (DS) and dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DMSP), as well as bromfenac sodium (BS) and moxifloxacin (MOX). Drug uptake and release were analyzed, and physical properties were measured and compared to …

A Multiwell Plate-Based System For Toxicity Screening Under Multiple Static Or Cycling Oxygen Environments, Ming Yao, Glenn Walker, Michael P. Gamcsik

Faculty and Student Publications

Tumor tissue contains a continuous distribution of static and dynamically changing oxygen environments with levels ranging from physiologically normal oxygen down to anoxia. However, in vitro studies are often performed under oxygen levels that are far higher than those found in vivo. A number of devices are available to alter the oxygen environment in cell culture, including designs from our laboratory. However, in our devices and most other designs, changing the media in order to feed or dose cells remains a disruptive factor in maintaining a consistent hypoxic environment. This report presents a novel 96-well plate design that recirculates the …