Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Fully Integrated Slippage Detection System For Lower Limb Amputees, Christopher E. Miglio

Master's Theses

Lower limb amputees face significant challenges in maintaining a proper prosthetic fit, as improper fit can lead to slippage at the limb-socket interface, resulting in discomfort, pressure sores, and long-term musculoskeletal complications. To address this issue, a fully integrated slippage detection system was developed to monitor an amputee’s daily activities and slippage occurrences to understand their prosthetic fit over time. The system consists of a prosthetic sock embedded with Interlink 406 flexible piezoresistive force-sensing resistors (FSRs). The sock, worn directly on the residual limb, continuously measures pressure at the limb-socket interface. Sensor data from six FSRs is sampled at approximately …

A Novel Microfluidic Device For Preclinical Testing Of Chemotherapeutics, Kaija Saleh Ogan

Master's Theses

This work demonstrates the feasibility of a novel microfluidic tumor model that reproduces physiologically relevant nutrient gradients and endothelium–tumor interactions, validating its potential as a preclinical test platform. Finite element simulations of glutamine diffusion and fluid dynamics aligned with experimental tracer studies, and co-cultures supported directed endothelial migration toward tumor spheroids, confirming the device’s ability to mimic in vivo–like behavior.

Current preclinical models often fail to capture the complexity of the tumor microenvironment (TME), limiting their predictive value for therapeutic testing. Nutrient availability and angiogenic signaling are critical drivers of tumor progression, yet they are poorly represented in traditional …

Muscle Impulse Transducer: Research, Pre-Pilot Experiments, And The Design Of A Pilot Study For Quadriplegic Spinal Cord Injured Subjects For The Development Of A Novel Device, Marta Oreglia

Master's Theses

Paralysis due to spinal cord injury is a challenging condition that affects millions of people around the world. The Muscle Impulse Transducer (MIT) is a novel, wearable device that can be used to improve grip strength in the hand by using functional muscle impulses as a trigger for stimulus delivery to weakened or paralyzed nerves, to induce contraction of a paralyzed or paretic muscle. The MIT is still in development, with proof of concept [1], and functional prototypes [2] achieved. In this thesis, research was conducted on the best methods for functional electrical stimulation, EMG data collection, and nerve stimulus …

Using Noninvasive Calibrated Cuff Plethysmography To Observe The Effects Of Lifestyle Habits On Arterial Compliance, Joshua M. Whitaker

Master's Theses

Cardiovascular disease remains as a leading cause of death for both sexes and across all racial backgrounds. Continuing to research causes, early predictors, and preventative actions are paramount to ensuring that cardiovascular disease starts to decrease in its activity. Endothelial dysfunction is the earliest known predictor of cardiovascular disease, therefore investigating early detection methods of endothelial dysfunction can improve health outcomes. This study revolves around a non-invasive calibrated cuff device that uses the principles of segmental plethysmography and oscilliometry to measure arterial compliance of baseline and induced hyperemic conditions in human subjects to determine how well arteries vasodilate in response …

Establishing Procedures For Primary Human Myoblast Cell Culture, Erica Duffy

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) affects an estimated 200 million people worldwide and is the leading cause of amputation in the United States. PAD is characterized by atherosclerotic narrowing of arteries, resulting in ischemia from reduced blood flow to distal tissues. Although surgical and percutaneous interventions can restore perfusion, fewer than 50% of patients experience sustained benefit, highlighting the need for alternative therapeutic strategies. One promising approach is promoting arteriogenesis, the growth and outward remodeling of pre-existing collateral vessels that improve blood flow around the occluded arteries. Arteriogenesis is regulated by regenerative, M2-polarized macrophages, making macrophage polarization a key therapeutic target. …

A Convolutional Neural Network Approach To Breast Cancer Tumor Boundary Detection, James Leah Matlosz

Master's Theses

Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer and often goes undetected in its initial stages due to its subtle symptoms. As the tumors grow, they become more difficult to surgically remove with clean borders. To minimize the chance of recurrence, a 2D convolutional neural network is developed in this work for delineating tumor boundaries. Specifically, the U-shaped network model is trained, validated, and tested with longitudinal MRI scans of patients diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing neoadjuvant therapy. For training, image masks were generated as ground truths using signal enhancement ratio segmentation, thresholding, and contour detection. The …

Development Of A Colorectal Cancer Spheroid Model To Improve The Accuracy Of Preclinical Drug Testing, Jillian Trilevsky

Master's Theses

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide. It currently affects millions of people across the globe and is only expected to increase in impact over the coming years. The most common treatment for metastatic colon cancer is chemotherapy, however, the development of chemotherapeutic drugs is a long and expensive process. A large portion of this development process is spent in preclinical drug testing. However, the models used often lack enough physiological relevance to guarantee the drug’s success in a clinical trial. Due to this gap in testing, researchers seek to develop a more physiologically relevant …

Multi-Material Printer Development, Jessica Hu, Phoebe Eplett

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Surgeons require pre-surgical models to practice procedures and improve success rates. However, the current process of creating physical models for practice using 3D printing is limited to producing homogeneous mimics of the human body, while the human body is a heterogeneous structure composed of multiple materials with varying properties, including bones, muscles, and skin. Additive manufacturing methods cannot easily print multiple materials simultaneously, as current AM machines only print homogeneous material, unlike the human body. In this proposal, we aim to develop a multi-material additive manufacturing system, from software to hardware, to manufacture pre-surgical models. We will investigate multi-material AM …

A Novel Hybrid Re-Entrant Double Arrowhead With Active Link Auxetic Metamaterial: Finite Element Approach, April Nguyen

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Auxetic metamaterials are a category of material that exhibit a negative Poisson's ratio (NPR). NPR materials contract when compressed and expand when stretched. NPR properties are typically produced through a complex unit cell consisting of folds, internal angles, or other specially designed shapes with internal voids capable of collapsing in on themselves. Individual unit cells that display these properties are developed and stacked or layered in a repeating pattern such that a larger body can be manufactured, maintaining the same properties. NPR auxetic structures show either a stretch-dominated mechanism (SDM) or a bending-dominated mechanism (BDM). SDM-based NPR structures are favored …

Computational Investigation Of The Role Of 3d Genome Architecture In The Lifecycle Of The Malaria Parasite, Srish Maulik

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Malaria, a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite, is responsible for more than a half a million deaths per year, the vast majority of which occur in central Africa. The parasite undergoes an incredibly complex cell molecular transformation as it transitions from living in mosquitoes to living in humans with different sets of genes being activated or silenced in order to evade the immune system of the host. Understanding how its genome guides this transition is critical for developing adequate treatments. In this project, we aim to develop a computational framework for investigating the role of the three …

Stretchable Mechanoluminescent Devices For Energy Harvesting And Real-Time Force Sensing, Lucas Taliaferro, Phoebe Ong

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Our group has been developing a novel manufacturing technique to fabricate flexible sensing devices using electrostatic force. Previously, we focused on utilizing nanomaterials as the sensing materials to measure strains. Building on our experience with the manufacturing technique, we will move forward to incorporate other smart materials in the flexible device to achieve self-powered sensors. Besides, to better understand the fabricated material properties, we are interested in characterizing the microstructural behavior of the material networks via microscopic imaging and finite element simulations. The students will have the opportunity to closely work with Dr. Wang’s interdisciplinary research group.

A Biomimetic Fe Model Of The Human Foot For Kinematic And Footwear Analysis, Brady K. Nakamura

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The idea of the present proposal is to develop a biomimetic foot model and validate the model accuracy in predicting plantar stresses on the foot, using insole pressure sensors. The incidences of foot pain can often be coupled with uncomfortable footwear and prolonged usage of a shoe may be associated with long-term musculoskeletal disorders in the lower limb. While multiple studies have tracked the progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA) or midfoot OA and have studied the effect of orthotic treatment on the foot pain across individuals [1], there are few biomimetic models of the foot that can study and associate …

Performance Dashboard Design For Radiologists: Highlighting What Matters & Fostering Improvement, Trevor Knotts, Jemma Simpson, Coleman Hawkins

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

TurboRad has developed a system with proven results that streamlines radiology report creation and improves radiologist productivity. A study performed in 2023 found that “the advanced macro-button toolbar system has great correlation for both lower report completion times and increased wRVU productivity. The benefits of the toolbar system are most evident in the simpler XR reports. Though they are simpler to read and complete reports, the greater quantity of XR reports contributes to a greater overall wRVU completion rate throughout the day as radiologists can spend more time on more complex examinations and reports” (Chow, Speece, & Holtzman, 2024). Since …

Measurements Of Spinal Posture During Common Strawberry Picking Positions Using Inertial Measurement Units, Madeline E. Everson

Master's Theses

Physically demanding professions, such as agriculture, put people at an increased

risk for experiencing back pain. This is due to the awkward and harmful postures sustained

throughout their workday. While studies have been done demonstrating that back pain is

prevalent amongst this community, most do not collect motion capture (MoCap) data,

leaving the specifics of the kinematics, such as the amount of time spent in harmful

postures, unknown. Unfortunately, MoCap data is typically limited to that of a lab or

facility where the cameras are housed. Therefore, this study aimed to mitigate the

inaccessibility of traditional MoCap by validating that …

A Wearable-Based Approach To Spinal Posture Tracking And Assessment, Sydney Marie Sherman, Noah Jeffery

Biomedical Engineering: Graduate Reports and Projects

This paper describes the design, manufacturing, and testing of a novel spinal posture tracking wearable device with embedded sensors. Currently on the market, most of the spinal posture tracking devices only focus on one segment of the spine and therefore do not track the entirety of human posture. The objective for this project was to create a wearable device in the form of a “smart shirt” that offers insights into posture trends throughout the day by tracking the entire spine. To begin the project, multiple designs were developed for the sensor array and wearable materials. These concepts were compared against …

Novel Electrospinning Techniques For Fabricating Scaffolds To Model Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease In Tissue Engineered Blood Vessel Mimics, Isaac "Squeaky" Buentipo

Master's Theses

Novel Electrospinning Techniques for Fabricating Scaffolds to Model Intracranial

Atherosclerotic Disease in Tissue Engineered Blood Vessel Mimics

Isaac “Squeaky” Buentipo

Dr. Kristen Cardinal’s Tissue Engineering Lab at California Polytechnic State University specializes in fabricating customized vascular models, known as Blood Vessel Mimics (BVMs), for medical device testing. BVMs are simplified in vitro vascular models designed to bridge the gap between bench testing and in vivo evaluation of intravascular medical devices. BVMs are produced by combining a polymer scaffold with human vascular cells. Through novel scaffold fabrication techniques, such as silicone injection molding, silicone dip casting and electrospinning, the capabilities of …

Evaluation Of Antibiotic Testing Protocols For Biofilm-Forming Escherichia Coli In A Microfluidic Platform, Caleb R. Telander

Master's Theses

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections remain an ongoing clinical problem due to biofilm persistence and antibiotic resistance. Standard antibiotic susceptibility testing cannot accurately reproduce flow conditions and the spatial complexity of the in vivoenvironment and is thus questionable in relevance to device-related infections. This study examines a microfluidic device designed to simulate physiologically relevant wall shear stress and antibiotic gradients in Escherichia coli biofilms. The polydimethylsiloxane-based system integrates a 16-well culture chamber with a gradient generator. Biofilm growth was observed using fluorescence microscopy of green fluorescent protein-labeled bacteria. Simulations performed using COMSOL Multiphysics software estimated the appropriate range of wall …

Efficacy Of Monophasic And Biphasic Pulsed Field Ablation Waveforms: A Model Study, Natalia Dekock

Master's Theses

Cardiac arrhythmias are conditions where the heart’s normal sinus rhythm is interrupted by accelerated or premature rhythms. The most prevalent of these rhythms is atrial fibrillation (AF), where disorganized impulses cause the atria to quiver and pump blood inefficiently. As of 2025, AF affects over 10 million people. Aside from invasive surgical treatments, antiarrhythmic drugs, or one time cardioversions, atrial fibrillation is treated with catheter ablation. The longstanding ablation solutions for AF have been the cryoballoon or radiofrequency catheter ablation. However, limitations for these two ablation modalities are due to the nature of cell destruction; both thermal methods pose a …

Effect Of Foot Strike Pattern On Joint Kinetics On A Downhill Slope, Evan Manley

Master's Theses

With recent increases in participation in outdoor running events, there is a need for research in downhill gait biomechanics. One change that could impact joint loading is foot strike pattern. Foot strike patterns have been categorized into rearfoot-strike (RFS), midfoot-strike (MFS), and forefoot-strike (FFS) [1]. While 75-99% of distance runners naturally RFS on level surfaces, they tend to move towards FFS when it is necessary to reduce vertical loading conditions at the knee [1]. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in peak vertical knee and ankle forces, knee moment, and ankle power, as well as cumulative force …

Opensim Analysis Of The Aymara Indigenous People Performing Ancestral Tasks: Exploring Trends Of Muscle Activity With Tiwanaku Skeletal Indicators, Noah M. Taylor

Master's Theses

The Tiwanaku civilization (AD 500-1100) of the Andean highlands exhibited occupational specialization in communities, with archeological evidence suggesting the existence of labor- and residential-communities, or “taskscapes”, based on an individual’s livelihood. Prior bioarcheological studies have examined Tiwanaku skeletal remains for musculoskeletal stress markers, osteoarthritis, and cross-sectional geometry to infer activity patterns. Their descendants, the Aymara Indigenous people, currently live in the same highlands and until recently lived a lifestyle like their ancestors. Over the past 20 years, the global quinoa demand has risen, thrusting the Aymara into globalization and moving them away from the traditional tasks previously performed. This study …

Acoustic And Hemodynamic Analysis Of Phantoms: Roughness And Flow Dynamics, Ethan Erik Olof Sundberg

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether different vascular phantoms, with and without a surrogate arm, could serve as effective analogs to the human brachial artery for assessing endothelial dysfunction, an early indicator of cardiovascular disease, particularly atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is characterized by plaque buildup and endothelial damage, which precede more severe clinical events and are often detectable through changes in vascular function. A 40” water tower was used to simulate diastolic pressure, enabling water flow through each phantom. Strain gauge pressure transducers were placed at both ends of the phantoms to measure pressure drop, while a microphone captured …

A Manufacturing Process For Interdigitated Microelectrodes On Glass Wafers, Wyatt W. Warfield

Master's Theses

This study presents work done to optimize the process parameters to produce interdigitated electrodes on a borosilicate wafer. Using designed experiments and statistical analysis, the error in pattern transfer was minimized using for key process steps including exposure time, develop time and post exposure bake duration. Similarly, statistical analysis was used with profilometry data to fine tune the develop times. Qualitative analysis was used to assess thin film deposition. The resulting process produced wafers with improved pattern transfer and adequate film adhesion

Optimizing Microfluidic Murine Fibroblast And Human Epidermal Keratinocyte Cell Culture In 70Μm Microwells, Christian Navarro

Master's Theses

Cell culture is an essential technique utilized in biotechnology and medicine to remove systemic influences to study cellular behavior and morphological development of individual cell lines. However, conventional cell culture is two-dimensional and static meaning it can’t easily mimic in vivo conditions such as multicellular cell to cell interactions, fluid perfusion, or 3D structures which might alter cellular behavior and morphology. Microfluidic cell culture allows for the incorporation of in vivo conditions such as perfusion and chemical gradients allowing for more physiologically accurate models. The goal of this study is to develop a protocol for testing a microfluidic chip designed …

Emergency Bleeding Education Fixture, Nate Colley, Kennedy K. Austin

Biomedical Engineering: Graduate Reports and Projects

Despite the deadly nature and widespread occurrence of emergency bleeding events, there are currently no training devices or demonstrations which educate users on the urgency of these events and potential methods to address them. Additionally, current models often fail to replicate physiological conditions correctly. A fixture was created to demonstrate the urgency of hemorrhaging events and educate users on potential methods for treating hemorrhaging, namely tourniquets and pressure wraps. This fixture utilized gravity to replicate systolic blood pressure, a silicone model to replicate various adult leg sizes and correct tissue properties, and a tubing system with varying compliance to replicate …

Ray Collection: Forging A New Fashion Genre, Olivia R. Cooper

Graphic Communication

This senior project addresses a gap in the fashion industry by creating a new genre through a unique collection and comprehensive branding. The "RAY" collection draws inspiration from the designer's artistic roots and is a deeply personal homage to influential female artists like Frida Kahlo, Louise Bourgeois, and Leonora Carrington, whose works have inspired the designer's creative journey. Each piece in the collection draws direct inspiration from these artists, reflecting the creator's vision and self-expression, a key element of the streetwear genre incorporated into the designs.

The project also heavily emphasizes fashion branding, encompassing a logo, brand identity, social and …

Quantifying Harmful Trunk Postures: Inertial Sensor Analysis Of Trunk Angle To Support Low Back Pain Prevention, Elsa E. Bates

Master's Theses

Low back pain is a highly prevalent condition worldwide, impacting up to 80% of individuals at least once in their lifetime. A critical gap in current prevention strategies is the lack of tools to accurately measure trunk posture and movement in real-world environments. Accurate identification of biomechanical risk requires information about movement intensity, duration, and frequency, yet traditional assessment methods rely on self-reporting or visual observation, which are time-consuming and prone to error. To address this gap, a wearable monitoring method, consisting of two Inertial Measurement Units, was designed to quantify risk exposure to the spine by measuring angular position …

Electroporation Protocol Development For Cal Poly Cell Therapy Laboratory Courses, Gabrielle Melamed

Biomedical Engineering

Cancer is a heterogeneous disease caused by unchecked cell proliferation. The disease contributed to 9.7 million deaths worldwide in 2022, with hematological malignancies (leukemias, lymphomas, and myelomas) accounting for over 1.4 million deaths in the United States from 1999 to 2020. This thesis focuses on the treatment of these cancers, with an emphasis on non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs). R-CHOP (Rituximab-Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin hydrochloride, Oncovin/Vincristine, and Prednisone) is the standard of care first-line treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common subtype of NHL, and encompasses a mixture of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and corticosteroids. The R-CHOP regimen cures 50% to 70% patients, …

Biofeedback For Upper Limb Bionics, Arissa Anaya, Adam Moger, Connor Bly, Theodore R. Hughes

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of this document was to present a senior design project from Cal Poly sponsored by Matt Robinson at the Hanger Clinic in San Luis Obispo to provide biofeedback for users of upper limb protheses. This project focuses on individuals with trans-radial upper limb amputations, including patients with congenital limb deficiencies who use trans-radial prosthesis, who receive very little or no sensory feedback from their prosthetic device. This sensory feedback device was intended to be used as a training tool with a myo-electric hand-like upper limb prosthesis in a clinical setting. This document provides an overview of the different …

Hands-Free Balance Protocol And Development Of An Iphone App For Self-Assessment, Jacob Matties

Master's Theses

For many clinical populations, the measurement of balance is a critical task. Previous studies have agreed that smartphone IMUs provide a valid measure of balance that can be significantly correlated with force plate measurements and is sensitive enough to distinguish between various balance poses, but many balance assessment protocols require uncommon equipment or the use of hands during assessment. These limit accessibility of balance assessment. To eliminate the need for hands or any additional equipment, this study assessed the use of a smartphone recording the root mean square of 3D acceleration magnitude. The goal of the study was to determine …

Biostride - Prosthetic Charging Stand, Abigael Howard, Brett Matich, Allie Mcauliffe, Liam Harwood

Biomedical Engineering

This Final Report outlines the development of a lower limb prosthetic docking and charging station to address a critical need for individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputations who use microprocessor-controlled prosthetics. This project is focused on designing and producing a secure, accessible, and aesthetically pleasing stand to store and charge prosthetic limbs overnight, targeting the lack of commercially available, functional prosthetic storage. The absence of a functional storage solution points to a failure in meaningfully addressing the human needs of prosthetics users, exacerbating user frustration through the perpetuation of issues including prosthetics falling over into inaccessible positions, and tripping hazards due …