Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Design Of A 3d Printed Bioreactor For Bone Cancer Research, Brooklyn K. Vanderwolde, Katelyn Hillson

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Bone cancer is an aggressive disease and has peak occurrence during physiological stimulation of growth and aging. Astronauts who undergo long-term space missions also acquire an increased risk of bone tissue degeneration and cancer. Few in-vitro models currently exist capable of reproducing the complex microenvironment of bone tissue to support multicellular activity in a three-dimensional structure. This limits the ability to understand disease progression and develop suitable treatment strategies. Therefore, developing a bone tissue model and an associated bioreactor is critical to understand the risks associated with cancer progression and improve treatment and preventions related to those risks. The goal …

Hydrolytic Degradation Study Of Polyphosphazene-Plga Blends, Riley Blumenfield

Honors Scholar Theses

The synthesis and in vitro degradation analysis of thin films of poly[(glycineethylglycinato)₇₅(phenylphenoxy)₂₅phosphazene]
(PNGEG₇₅PhPh₂₅) and poly[(ethylphenylalanato)₂₅(glycine-
ethylglycinato)₇₅phosphazene] (PNEPA₂₅GEG₇₅) blended with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) was conducted to determine the blends’ potential for use as scaffolding materials for tissue regeneration applications. The samples were synthesized with glycylglycine ethyl ester (GEG) acting as the primary substituent side group, with cosubstitution by phenylphenol (PhPh) and phenylalanine ethyl ester (EPA) to make the final product [1]. Blends of 25% polyphosphazene, 75% PLGA and 50% polyphosphazene, 50% PLGA were …

Characterization Of Oxone Mediated Tempo-Oxidized Nano Cellulose Mixed-Matrix Membranes During Ultrafiltration And Hemodialysis, Kristyn Robling

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The ninth leading cause of death in the United States is kidney disease, and hemodialysis is the process most commonly prescribed for treatment. It utilizes a selectively permeable membrane filter to remove toxins such as urea from the blood and retain necessary protein levels. However, traditional filters, such as cellulose triacetate, used during dialysis can be inefficient in terms of separation performance and reduction of fouling. Recent exploration of nanoparticles has resulted in the creation of Oxone Mediated TEMPO-Oxidized Nano Cellulose which has properties that are believed to increase hydrophilicity, increase tensile capacity, decrease membrane resistance and lower fouling, making …

Modified Stent Design For A Coronary Bifurcation Lesion, Abigail Nowell

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Currently, 18.2 million adults aged 20 and older are diagnosed with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) (Benjamin et al., 2019). Stenosis is the most common intervention. However, when a patient has a bifurcated artery, treatment becomes more difficult and is often unsuccessful. This project created a new stent and balloon complex that was tested in vitro using a gel phantom artery model. Two separate prototypes have been created and tested so far, with improvements made upon each. Testing is still underway with Prototype 2.

Analysis Of Blood Purification Studies On Oxone Mediated Tempo-Oxidized Nano Cellulose Mixed-Matrix Membranes, Tony Roller

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is currently the ninth leading cause of death in the United States, and of the 661,00 Americans diagnosed with ESRD, approximately 468,800 were on hemodialysis in 2016. Hemodialysis refers to a technique where a machine combined with a membrane, often referred to as an artificial kidney, is used to clean blood by removing any waste such as urea, potassium, and other smaller waste products while preserving the concentrations and integrity of cells and proteins in the blood. It has been shown in artificial blood studies that cellulose nanomaterials, like TEMPO/Oxidized cellulose nanoparticles (TOCNs), can be integrated …

Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Α-Chitin/Nanocellulose Composites Developed From Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (Opefb) For Removal Of Cationic Dyes, Chun Fah Mok

Student Works (2020-2029)

In search of an eco-friendly polymeric adsorbent for dye effluent treatment application, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/chitin/nanocellulose composites were synthesized. The composites were reinforced by oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers (OPEFB)-derived nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). With addition of 1 wt.% NCC, a maximum improvement of 57.64% and 50.66% in tensile strength and Young’s Modulus were achieved, respectively. However, the PVA-based composites exhibited low resistance in aqueous medium. Hence, maleic acid (MA) was incorporated, in view of modifying PVA-based composites through cross-linking reactions. The effect of varying chitin content (10 wt.%-30 wt.%) and MA content (10%-50% based on total solid content of composite) …

Development Of B-Type And Multi-Ion Doped Carbonated Hydroxyapatite Bioceramics, Safarzadeh Marjan

Student Works (2020-2029)

The present research is aimed to investigate the effect of varying the carbonate to phosphate (CO32−/ PO43‒) molar ratios from 0.5 to 5 on the physical and mechanical properties of carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA) synthesized by a wet chemical method. The sintering was performed under dry carbon dioxide atmosphere at 900 °C to maintain the B-type CHA structure. It was found that increases in CO32−/ PO43‒ ratio was accompanied by an increase in the c/a lattice ratio. The diffraction peaks of the synthesized 0.5-5 CHA powders exhibited a single phase material except for 5CHA which revealed the some minor calcite or …

Design Of An Affordable Rotating Drum Electrospinner For Classroom Education, Peder Solberg

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Electrospinning is a technology used to generate small fibers down to nano-scale size. This method of fiber creation has been around for many years. However, in recent years electrospinning has found increased applications, especially in the area of tissue engineering due to its ability to create fibers with properties similar to the extracellular matrix in tissue. An electrospinning platform can illustrate concepts of engineering, electro-mechanical system design, manufacturing, and biomedical applications in one single package. Hence, it provides an excellent opportunity to integrate into secondary (middle and high school) and post-secondary (undergraduate) technology education.

Furthermore, just as integration of 3D …

Solostand, Hau Nhat Doan, Sydney Gray, Celina Dioso

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of this scope of work is to highlight the progress and development of SoloStand sponsored by Derek Herrera, chief technical officer and founder of SpinalSingularity. SoloStand is an attachment to a wheelchair that will benefit paraplegics that use wheelchairs. A portable and customizable attachment to a wheelchair will allow the user to do everyday tasks without transferring into a separate standing wheelchair and travel more easily. This document outlines everything that has been done in fulfillment of our senior project requirements.

Role Of Nanoparticle–Polymer Interactions On The Development Of Double-Network Hydrogel Nanocomposites With High Mechanical Strength, Andrew Chang, Nasim Babhadiashar, Emma Barrett-Catton, Prashanth Asuri

Bioengineering

Extensive experimental and theoretical research over the past several decades has pursued strategies to develop hydrogels with high mechanical strength. Our study investigated the effect of combining two approaches, addition of nanoparticles and crosslinking two different polymers (to create double-network hydrogels), on the mechanical properties of hydrogels. Our experimental analyses revealed that these orthogonal approaches may be combined to synthesize hydrogel composites with enhanced mechanical properties. However, the enhancement in double network hydrogel elastic modulus due to incorporation of nanoparticles is limited by the ability of the nanoparticles to strongly interact with the polymers in the network. Moreover, double-network hydrogel …

Biotech Connector Brochure

Biotech Connector

The Biotech Connector represents an important opportunity to serve the economic needs of the people of Nebraska through further diversification of Nebraska's economy, and by helping forge and illuminate a pathway to jobs in the biotechnology space for Nebraska students.

The Biotech Connector is 7,700 sq. ft. of well-equipped wet-lab space located on Nebraska Innovation Campus. We provide incubation space and services to bioscience startups and high-growth biotech and research-based businesses.

Wet lab space provides aspiring startups and technology businesses with access to very expensive laboratory equipment that would be outside of the budget of most startups. Lack of access …

Bacterial Cell Wall Characterization Via Atomic Force And Confocal Microscopy, Joree Sandin

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Poor oral hygiene is a severe global health issue, with about 44% of the Earth’s population suffering from untreated tooth decay, accounting for over $100 billion dollars spent on dental services per year in the United States, alone. Manual treatments, such as brushing, flossing, or swishing with antiseptic rinse are the main ways to alleviate harmful bacteria that cause these oral health problems. Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is a group of highly antibiotic, Gram-positive bacteria that heavily contribute to oral cavities, plaque build-up, and potential loosening or loss of dental implants if a biofilm develops. Currently, the mechanism …

Gravity-Drawing Flexible Silicone Filaments As Fiber Optics And Model Foldamers, Katherine Snell

CMC Senior Theses

Here, we present a method of gravity-drawing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) silicone fibers with application as fiber optics and as model foldamers. Beginning as a viscous liquid, PDMS is cured using heat until its measured viscosity reaches 4000 mPa•s. The semi-cured elastomer is then extruded through a tube furnace to produce thin (diameters on the order of hundred micrometers) filaments with scalable lengths. PDMS is biocompatible, gas-permeable, flexible, and hydrophobic. Additionally, the PDMS surface hydrophobicity can be modified via UV exposure, O2 plasma, and corona discharge. We demonstrate the patternibility (i.e patterns of hydrophobicity) of PDMS fibers, adding complexity to potential foldamer …

Dendrimer-Based Therapeutic Delivery Vehicle For The Treatment Of Ocular Diseases, Remy C. Cooper

Theses and Dissertations

The treatment of ocular diseases poses a significant challenge to drug delivery design, due to the eye’s complex anatomy, with a semi-permeable blood-ocular barrier and associated immune privilege. To address some of the delivery challenges, polycationic dendrimers are explored as vehicle for the treatment of posterior chamber disease. Dendrimers are a class of polymeric nanoparticles that are highly branched, multivalent and monodisperse, whose three-dimensional globular architecture has given them the nickname of “synthetic proteins”. Dendrimers are synthesized by reacting monomers in a step-wise fashion to produce generationally and radially increasing structures, with core, interior and surface chains that are highly …

Binder Saturation, Layer Thickness, Drying Time And Their Effects On Dimensional Tolerance And Density Of Cobalt Chrome - Tricalcium Phosphate Biocomposite, John Ruprecht

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Traditional metals such as stainless steel, titanium and cobalt chrome are used in biomedical applications (implants, scaffolds, etc.) but suffer from issues such as osseointegration and compatibility with existing bone. One way to improve traditional biomaterials is to incorporate ceramics with these metals so that their mechanical properties can be similar to cortical bones. Tricalcium phosphate is such a ceramic with properties such that it can be used in the human body. This research explores the use of the Binder Jetting based additive manufacturing process to create a novel biocomposite made of cobalt chrome and tricalcium phosphate. Experiments were conducted …

Integrated Techno-Economic And Life Cycle Analyses Of Biomass Utilization For Value-Added Bioproducts In The Northeastern United States, Yuxi Wang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A multi-stage spatial analysis was first conducted to select locations for lignocellulosic biomass-based bioproduct facility, using Geographical Information System (GIS) spatial analysis, multi-criteria analysis ranking algorithm, and social-economic assessment. A case study was developed to determine locations for lignocellulosic biorefineries using feedstocks including forest residue biomass and three energy crops for 13 states in the northeastern United States. In the entire study area, 11.1% of the counties are high-suitable, 48.8% are medium-suitable for biorefinery siting locations. A non-parametric analysis of cross-group surveys showed that preferences on biorefinery siting are homogeneous for experts in academia and industry groups, but people in …

3d Printing Of Iron Oxide Incorporated Polydimethylsiloxane Soft Magnetic Actuator, Rasoul Bayaniahangar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Soft actuators have grown to be a topic of great scientific interest recently. As the fabrication of soft actuators with conventional microfabrication methods are tedious, expensive, and time consuming, employment of 3-D printing fabrication methods appears promising as they can simplify fabrication and reduce the production cost. Complex structures can be fabricated with 3-D printing such as helical coils can achieve actuation performances that otherwise would not be possible with simpler geometries. In this thesis development of soft magnetic helical coil actuators of iron-oxide embedded polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was achieved with embedded 3-D printing techniques. Composites with three different weight ratios …

Artificial Synthetic Scaffolds For Tissue Engineering Application Emphasizing The Role Of Biophysical Cues, Samerender Nagam Hanumantharao

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The mechanotransduction of cells is the intrinsic ability of cells to convert the mechanical signals provided by the surrounding matrix and other cells into biochemical signals that affect several distinct processes such as tumorigenesis, wound healing, and organ formation. The use of biomaterials as an artificial scaffold for cell attachment, differentiation and proliferation provides a tool to modulate and understand the mechanotransduction pathways, develop better in vitro models and clinical remedies. The effect of topographical cues and stiffness was investigated in fibroblasts using polycaprolactone (PCL)- Polyaniline (PANI) based scaffolds that were fabricated using a self-assembly method and electrospinning. Through this …

Study Of Silica Nanoparticle Composite On Silica-Hydrogen Peroxide Complexations And Their Effects In Catechol Based Adhesives, Rattapol Pinnaratip

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Mussel adhesive proteins contain catechol moiety, which allows the protein to crosslinked, solidify, and adhere to surrounding surfaces even under wet conditions. Incorporating the catechol moiety into polymeric adhesive resulted in bioadhesive, which still functions under wet conditions. However, the adhesive must be oxidized in order to crosslink and adhere to surfaces. The oxidation process of catechol adhesive was proven to produce singlet oxygen, superoxide, and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). These reactive oxygen species, with lack of control, can wreak havoc to the biological system causing poor healing and undesired biological response.

Here, we studied the silica …

A Microfluidic Paper-Based Analytical Device For Early Diagnosis And Prognosis Of Acute Myocardial Infarction, Lim Wei Yin

Student Works (2020-2029)

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI), also termed as heart attack, is often clinically screened by blood test through the measurement of cardiac biomarkers (i.e., troponin (T or I), creatine kinase (CK−MB) and myoglobin) and electrocardiography (ECG) changes which are presented to the hospital. However, the early diagnosis of AMI is challenging because the detection of biomarkers such as troponin (T or I) and CK−MB are only reliable at the intermediate and later stages (> 6 hours after chest pain onset), during myocardial injury and myocardial infarction. On the other hand, myoglobin often been used as early biomarker which is detectable within …

Liver Cancer: Current And Future Trends Using Biomaterials, Sue Anne Chew, Stefania Moscato, Sachin George, Bahareh Azimi, Serena Danti

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common type of cancer diagnosed and the second leading cause of death worldwide. Despite advancement in current treatments for HCC, the prognosis for this cancer is still unfavorable. This comprehensive review article focuses on all the current technology that applies biomaterials to treat and study liver cancer, thus showing the versatility of biomaterials to be used as smart tools in this complex pathologic scenario. Specifically, after introducing the liver anatomy and pathology by focusing on the available treatments for HCC, this review summarizes the current biomaterial-based approaches for systemic delivery and implantable tools …

Ph-Sensitive Oxygen Release Microspheres To Enhance Cell Survival In Ischemic Condition, Zhongting Liu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Ischemic diseases such as myocardial infarction, stroke and limb ischemia are severe cardiovascular diseases with high rate of death and millions of people suffered from these diseases. Under ischemic environment, cells die due to deficient supply of nutrient and oxygen. To regenerate ischemic tissues, stem cell therapy is a promising approach because stem cells can differentiate into cells necessary for the regeneration. However, stem cell therapy has limitations. For example, few cells can survive under harsh ischemic environment. To enhance stem cells survival, implantation of oxygen release microspheres to sustained supply cells with oxygen represents an effective strategy. Previously, our …

Spark Plasma Sintering Of Low Modulus Titanium-Niobium-Tantalum-Zirconium (Tntz) Alloy For Biomedical Applications, Nicholas Mavros, Taban Larimian, Javier Esqivel, Rajeev Kumar Gupta, Rodrigo Contieri, Tushar Borkar

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

In metallurgy, titanium has been a staple for biomedical purposes. Its slow toxicity and alloying versatility make it an attractive choice for medical applications. However, studies have shown the difference in elastic modulus between titanium alloys (116 GPa) and human bone (10–40 GPa), which contributes to long term issues with loose hardware fixation. Additionally, long term studies have shown elements such as vanadium and aluminum, which are commonly used in Ti-6Al-4V biomedical alloys, have been linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer and Parkinson. Alternative metals known to be less toxic are being explored as replacements for alloying elements in titanium …

Production And Purification Of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Fused To Two Collagen Binding Domains Expressed In E. Coli Bl21 Using Flask And Fed-Batch, Hazim Aljewari

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Delivering effective and non-toxic doses of bioactive materials that can aid in activating tissue regeneration to wounded tissue has proven to be an enormous challenge. This study was designed to produce a potential therapeutic recombinant protein by fusing two collagen binding domains to basic fibroblast growth factors (bFGF) through a collagenase cleavage site linker, so it can release the bFGF in a wound site by the action of this enzyme. The novel fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL-21 (E. coli) using traditional flask shaker and fed-batch cultivation. Cell lysate was purified by FPLC using Immobilized metal affinity chromatography …

Optimized Production And Evaluation Of Cellulose Nanocrystals Derived From Pre-Extracted Kraft Pulp Of Different Wood Species, Gurshagan Kandhola

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Production of nanocellulose from a variety of naturally abundant, locally available and industrially significant wood species provides an opportunity for diversifying the portfolio of traditional pulp and paper industries. The U.S. has a prolific forest products industry with a well-established infrastructure that could be utilized for optimized and customized production of cellulose nanomaterials. However, to achieve that, it is important to a) understand how biorefining strategies for complete fractionation of biomass affect the downstream processing of pulp into nanocellulose, b) maximize the yields of cellulose nanocrystals and nanofibers (CNCs and CNFs) from pretreated raw materials, and c) evaluate if the …

Effects Of Cryopreservation And Next Generation Sequencing Of Adipose Derived Stem Cells, Mulla Shahensha Shaik

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The research in this thesis is divided into two areas. 1) Studying the effects of cryopreservation and developing freezing protocols suitable for adipose derived stem cells and 2) Identifying the underlying mechanisms involved in the differentiation of ASCs especially into osteogenesis and endothelial-genesis using next generation sequencing.

In the part one (Chapter 2 and 3), a novel protocol to freeze ASCs and the effects of long-term cryopreservation on ASCs were studied. Heat shocking ASCs at 43°C for 1 hour resulted in the temporal expression of HSPs particularly HSP70 and HSP32 to reach maximum expression at 3 hours post heat shock …

Assessment Of The Biocompatibilty, Stability, And Suitability Of Natural And Synthetic Polymers And Drugs In The Fda Approval Process, Phuong Anh Hoang Nguyen

Biomedical Engineering ETDs

Regulation of the development, production, marketing, and sales of medical pharmaceuticals and devices in the United States fall under the regulatory functions of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The current FDA approval process takes an average of 10 years from start to completion, and costs over $100 million. As a result, companies use many different methods to find additional use of their drugs through marketing directly to the physician, or recycling of previously approved drug moieties. In this work, an evaluation of the in vitro and ex vivo biocompatibility of polymers and drugs in different phases of FDA approval …

Bioengineering Extracellular Matrix Scaffolds For Volumetric Muscle Loss, Kevin Roberts

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Volumetric muscle loss overwhelms skeletal muscle’s ordinarily capable regenerative machinery, resulting in fibrosis and severe functional deficits which have defied clinical repair strategies. My work spans the design and preclinical evaluation of implants intended to drive the cell community of injured muscle toward a regenerative state, as well as the development of an understanding of the molecular responses of this cell community to biomaterial interventions. I demonstrate a new class of biomaterial by leveraging the productive capacity of sacrificial hollow fiber membrane cell culture; I show specifically that unique threads of whole extracellular matrix can be isolated by solvent degradation …

A Ph-Sensitive Delivery System For The Prevention Of Dental Caries Using Salivary Protein, Yi Zhu, Yizhi Xiao, Elizabeth Gillies, Walter L. Siqueira

Western Research Forum

Dental caries remains one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide. In previous studies, salivary proteins (e.g. histatin 3, statherin) have demonstrated biological functions including the inhibition of crystal growth, antibacterial activities, which are directly related to tooth homeostasis and prevention of dental caries. However, proteins are susceptible to the high proteolytic activities in the oral environment. Therefore, pH-sensitive chitosan nanoparticles (CNs) have been proposed as potential carriers to protect proteins against enzymatic degradation at physiological salivary pH, in addition to swell selectively at lower pH conditions to facilitate the release of the encapsulated proteins, as major oral complications occur …

Multifunctional Hybrid Sol-Gel Implant Coatings On Anodized Titanium Substrates To Improve Osseointegration And Antimicrobial Effectiveness, Zach Gouveia

Western Research Forum

To improve patient outcomes in orthopedic and dental implantation procedures, the development of multifunctional implant coatings that can inhibit microbial cell proliferation while promoting osseointegration have been sought out by clinicians. While recent developments in material science and cell biology have seen the development of such coatings, many proposed systems lack clinical translatability. For example, to reach the clinic, modern coating systems must be highly adherent to their substrate (to avoid delamination upon implantation), have sufficient wettability (to promote the fixation of cells), and facilitate the controlled and sustained release of antimicrobial factors (falling within the therapeutic window to prevent …