Engineering Commons^™

Enabling Studies To Optimize Biomaterials For The Treatment Of Myocardial Infarction, Eva Adriana Romito

Theses and Dissertations

The canonical mechanism of wound healing is disrupted following a myocardial infarction (MI), manifesting as an unregulated response that negatively impacts left ventricular (LV) function. This mechanism, termed post-MI remodeling, culminates in an outcome that favors progression to a systolic heart failure state and death for the patient. Therapeutic approaches following the occurrence of a MI are designed to modulate the natural remodeling process and mitigate the loss of cardiac function. The mechanics and structure of the healing infarct have been the focus of numerous pre-clinical and clinical investigations, leading to the impending clinical introduction of material injections as a …

A Theoretical Study Of Polymer Based Drug Delivery Systems, Ebtisam Abdullatif Aldaais

Theses and Dissertations

Polymer nanostructured materials for drug delivery applications have witnessed tremendous progress in recent years due to their vast potential. One-end-grafted polymers can form grafted micelles with specific mechanical properties. Biological conditions can alter these properties resulting in the protection or release of drugs. Charged surfactants can also form micelles in an aqueous solution, which can also be manipulated through special conditions. On the micellar surface, self-organized polyelectrolytes can be stimulated to extend their attached ligands and thus increase the probability of binding to targeted receptors. This thesis focuses on modeling polymer-based drug delivery systems by studying the physical interactions between …

A Mechanical Approach To The Characterization Of Material Failure Of Atherosclerotic Lesions, Lindsey A. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Failure of atherosclerotic plaques can lead to potentially life threatening clinical events such as myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, or transient ischemic attack (TIA). The most frequently described plaque failure mechanism is tensile rupture of the fibrous cap; however, often during angioplasty another plaque failure mechanism occurs in which the atherosclerotic plaque separates from the internal elastic lamina (IEL). This study aims assess the material strength of atherosclerotic lesions using mechanical concepts.

To assess likelihood of plaque dissection at the vessel wall, adhesion strength was assessed in both mouse and human specimens using plaque delamination experiments. Measuring plaque adhesion in transgenic …