Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Virtual Stethoscope - Otoscope, Ermen J. Elenes-Cazares, Ceasar A. Hurtado, Thomas M. Margolle

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of this report was to develop a working prototype for a virtual stethoscope and otoscope. Sponsored by Courtney Farr, the virtual diagnostic care system – HouseCalls Mobile digital stethoscope/otoscope is meant for use by medical professionals and non – medical professionals for preliminary medical exams while physically not in a medical setting. The HouseCalls Mobile device is to characterize key biometric parameters such as breathing patterns, heart irregularities, and visual clinical evaluation of the inner ear. This device is intended for pediatric use.

Tmtt Chimera Valve Attachment Process, Paulina Nguyen, Devin Debouk, Tamar Kazazian, Noah Thompson

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Characterizing A Gaucher’S Disease Model For The Evaluation Of Novel Exosome-Based Enzyme Replacement Therapy, Annie Brown

Bioengineering Master's Theses

Gaucher’s disease is a rare genetic lysosomal storage disorder. People suffering from Gaucher’s disease do not have functional beta-glucocerebrosidase (GBA), which results in toxic build-up of undegraded substrates within the cell. Currently, patients living with this disease rely on biologics to reduce their symptoms, however, they require frequent transfusions and are incapable of crossing the blood brain barrier (BBB) to address neurologic symptoms of the disease. To evaluate the efficacy of novel biologic therapeutics, a human Gaucher’s disease model is required. Here, we have utilized near-haploid human cells (Hap1) modified via CRISPR-Cas9 to model Gaucher’s disease in vitro. These cells …

Non-Invasive Peripheral Venous And Arterial Line Air Detector For Embolization Prevention, Alexandria Kwong, Kevin Shu, Dylan Meinster

Biomedical Engineering

The scope of this project includes designing a non-invasive bubble detector for peripheral venous and arterial lines. For minimally invasive cardiac procedures, arterial and venous access is necessary for these procedures as is constant flow through the tubing to prevent clotting and to administer drugs. Air bubbles are common in these lines and can be consequential if enough air is introduced into the human system. Air embolisms are the most common and relevant issues during these procedures. The goal of this device is to create an attachable detector for air bubbles in saline that can also terminate flow and alert …

Surf Sled, Marius Jatulis, Arthur Zaayer, Griffin O'Malley, Jose Covarrubias

Mechanical Engineering

This Final Design Review document outlines the process by which we designed and built a surfboard sled, nicknamed the “Beachin’ Buggy”, for the AmpSurf program. The document describes the goals and services that AmpSurf provides for those living with disabilities, and the current methods that volunteers use to transport people from to beach to the water and onto a surfboard. It then identifies the need for a new system for beach-to-water transportation, along with all specifications, constraints, and goals for the system. Background research will be introduced to relate similar products to this project, and their relevant features and parameters …

Concussion Detection Device, Jenna C. Sussex, Mark B. Edin, Bianca X. Aleman

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

D.I.Y. Clean Hood, Samuel G. Porter, Ryan E. Shimogaki, Ryan S. Staples

Biomedical Engineering

The DIY Clean Hood is a low-cost, sterile, and accessible scientific workspace intended for installation in the BioElectroFluidics Lab of California Polytechnic State University’s (San Luis Obispo) Biomedical Engineering Department (BMED), under the sponsorship of Dr. Benjamin Hawkins, PhD. As normal Clean Hood, Biosafety Cabinets, and the like are generally too expensive for a university, a competitive solution to an expensive problem can assist research students and professors alike continue their own work with an inexpensive yet effective environment.

Specific design elements that the customer requirements entailed for the project include a low-particle-count air filtration system, positive pressure air flow …

Sandy Feet, Garrett E. Herbst, Jacqueline Chuang, Jerin T. Brust, Parker S. Duncan

General Engineering

Sgt. Brady is a former armed forces member with a transtibial amputation. He walks on sand frequently for work and leisure, but experiences severe pain and inconvenience because his current prosthesis is not meant for use on sand. Sand Foot V2 is a prosthesis that allows Sgt. Brady to walk on sand for long periods of time without issue.

Mountain Arm, Conner Magnuson, Amanda Lingle, Jordan Ambrose, Marco Lopez

General Engineering

QL+ Challenger, US Navy Veteran, and transhumeral amputee Cassie Perando needed a way to backpack comfortably and independently while wearing a transhumeral prosthesis, as this is something that she enjoys doing often. The current prosthesis she wears causes pinching while wearing a backpack. To eliminate this issue, we decided to design and create a dynamic, pin-lock socket. This design decision allowed for a comfortable fit for Cassie that will not interfere with the backpack straps. As a secondary suspension system, we designed a sports bra with straps that attach to her opposing side and connect to the front and the …

Identification Of Messenger Molecule Between Mammalian And Bacterial Cells, Anna Fraser-Philbin, Alexander Heiler

Bioengineering Senior Theses

The rapid escalation of the antibiotic resistance crisis has brought attention to the decline in efficiency of antibiotics which have long been a cornerstone of modern medicine. This project aims to provide novel drug targets for the creation of anti-infective immunotherapies that can treat drug-resistant infections. The identification of said drug target(s) (Molecule X) will allow for the development of an antibody based drug that will neutralize bacterial virulence rather than killing the bacteria. Molecule X will be bound using the protein Sortase A (SrtA). SrtA is a surface protein that controls the virulence of gram positive bacteria by anchoring …

Brainwave Classification For Eeg-Based Neurofeedback, Brent Baculi, Stuart Cansdale

Bioengineering Senior Theses

The aim of this project was to find a way to differentiate active and rested brain signals in a patient using tasks without bodily movement to provide extremely motorly disabled patients a method of control for robotic devices that enable them to move independently of a caretaker. Although many control methods exist for less severely motorly impaired patients, this method would improve quality of life for all patients by allowing for movements to be controlled exclusively using the brain. The three steps for our project were to define the tasks and collect data, process the signals, and run the processed …

A Review Of The Latest Insights Into The Mechanism Of Action Of Strontium In Bone, Daniella Marx, Alireza Rahimnejad Yazdi, Marcello Papini, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Interest in strontium (Sr) has persisted over the last three decades due to its unique mechanism of action: it simultaneously promotes osteoblast function and inhibits osteoclast function. While this mechanism of action is strongly supported by in vitro studies and small animal trials, recent large-scale clinical trials have demonstrated that orally administered strontium ranelate (SrRan) may have no anabolic effect on bone formation in humans. Yet, there is a strong correlation between Sr accumulation in bone and reduced fracture risk in post-menopausal women, suggesting Sr acts via a purely physiochemical mechanism to enhance bone strength. Conversely, the local administration of …

The Role Of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) In Management Of Bone Loss And Infection In Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Review, Leyla Hasandoost, Omar Rodriguez, Adel Alhalawani, Paul Zalzal, Emil H. Schemitsch, Stephen D. Waldman, Marcello Papini, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is widely used in joint arthroplasty to secure an implant to the host bone. Complications including fracture, bone loss and infection might cause failure of total knee arthroplasty (TKA), resulting in the need for revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA). The goals of this paper are: (1) to identify the most common complications, outside of sepsis, arising from the application of PMMA following rTKA, (2) to discuss the current applications and drawbacks of employing PMMA in managing bone loss, (3) to review the role of PMMA in addressing bone infection following complications in rTKA. Papers published between …

Design Of Prototype Prosthesis For A Canine With A Right Front Limb Deformity As An Alternate Approach To Stabilize Gait And Withstand Gait Forces, Tayler R. Kastlunger

Master's Theses

Congenital and developmental limb deformities in canines are rare and can occur as a genetic disorder or be caused by extrinsic factors. Without surgery to correct the deformity, conservative management can be implemented to manage exercise and restrict high-intensity activity of the canine. However, any alteration to the normal gait and locomotive biomechanics of a canine can have significant long-term effects on the musculoskeletal health and quality of life of the canine. To improve quality of life and provide an alternative and more cost-effective approach to surgery, a custom prosthetic was designed and developed for a canine born with a …

Reading Robot, Gillian Watts, Andrew Myers, Sabrinna Tan, Taylor Klein, Omeed Djassemi

General Engineering

Presently, there is an insufficient availability of human experts to assist students in reading competency and comprehension. Our team’s goal was to create an improved socially assistive robot for use by therapists, teachers, and parents to help children and adults develop reading skills while they do not have access to specialists. HAPI is a socially assistive robot that we created with the goal of helping students practice their reading comprehension skills. HAPI enables a student to improve their reading skills without an educator present, while enabling educators to review the student's performance remotely. Design constraints included: physical size, weight, duration …

The Effect Of Distal Core Flattening And Heat Treatment On 304 Stainless Steel Guide Wires, Andrew Spencer Yap, Bryce Eric Veit, Matthew Frederick Lopez Villena

Materials Engineering

The mechanical response of 304 stainless steel guide wires due to different temper conditions and amounts of flattening is to be explored in this project. For this specific project, there is no public literature on the mechanical properties of guide wires with the above conditions through tensile testing or Turns to Failure Testing. To address this, the project with Abbott Vascular will measure the mechanical properties of guide wires using the aforementioned factors. Due to a lack of previous literature on this research topic, there are no quantitative goals for the project, however, any new research compiled in this area …

Septal Closure Device, Olivia N. Welch, Hillal H. Jarrar, Kai Harrison

Biomedical Engineering

The septal closure device was designed to seal defects in the atrial septum. To fully seal an atrial defect, the device was designed to consist of two circular seals to cover the defect in both the right and left atria, attached with a central rod. The materials were chosen for compressibility (for ease of insertion), biocompatibility, and tissue ingrowth. A CAD model was drafted in SolidWorks. Key customer requirements include ease of implantation (specifications: adjustable sizing and clear directions for use), physician controlled (specifications: short implantation time and compatibility with current catheter/scope techniques), and a long lifetime (specifications: materials that …

Modulation Of Cerebellar Purkinje Cell Activity With Low Intensity Electric And Ultrasound Stimulation, Ahmet S. Asan

Dissertations

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques garner significant interest due to their potential to offer instantaneous and region-specific treatments to neurological disorders. The cerebellum is one of the target sites for NIBS methods due to its central role in motor and cognitive functions. Among several modulation techniques, transcranial electric stimulations (tEs), in particular, transcranial direct and alternating current stimulations (tDCs/tACs), and low intensity focused ultrasound stimulation (LIFUS) show encouraging outcomes in clinical applications. tDCs and tACs are favored due to their low cost and accessibility while LIFUS offers high spatial resolution and deeper penetration without affecting the surrounding structures. In order …

Mechanical Characterization Of Animal Derived Starting Materials For Tissue Engineering, Bin Zhang

Dissertations

Animal derived starting materials are well established in the production of Tissue Engineered Medical Devices. Porcine specifically can be found in products ranging in application from hernia repair to breast reconstruction. Although this material has been largely accepted in the Tissue Engineering industry, little is known of its material properties and mechanical characteristics. A review of the scientific literature describes limited mechanical measures only on uncontrolled research grade material. The objective of this work is to mechanically characterize porcine starting material used in the medical device industry. Porcine skin is provided by Midwest Research Swine, LLC (MRS) an established supplier …

Scanless Optical Coherence Tomography For High-Speed 3d Biomedical Microscopy, Yahui Wang

Dissertations

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a high-resolution cross-sectional imaging modality that has found applications in a wide range of biomedical fields, such as ophthalmology diagnosis, interventional cardiology, surgical guidance, and oncology. OCT can be used to image dynamic scenes, in quantitative blood flow sensing and visualization, dynamic optical coherence elastography, and large-scale neural recording. However, the spatiotemporal resolution of OCT for dynamic imaging is limited by the approach it takes to scan the three-dimensional (3-D) space. In a typical OCT system, the incident light is focused to a point at the sample. The OCT system uses mechanical scanners (galvanometers or …