Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

A Smart Implantable Bone Fixation Plate Providing Actuation And Load Monitoring For Orthopedic Fracture Healing, Brad Nelson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Fracture non-union occurs in roughly 5-10% of all fracture cases, and current interventions are both time-consuming and costly. There is therefore significant incentive to develop new tools to improve fracture healing outcomes. Several studies have shown that low-magnitude, high-frequency (LMHF) mechanical loading can promote faster healing and reduce the risk of refracture in critical-size long bone fractures. This is typically done using whole-body vibration, which may result in undesirable systemic effects on the rest of the body. This work discusses an implantable piezoelectric fixation plate that can both apply LMHF loading directly to the fracture site using flexible scheduling and …

3d Printing In Low Resource Healthcare Settings: Analysis Of Potential Implementations, Alenna Beroza

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

3D printing has gained significant momentum in the past ten years, and its unique advantages make it especially ideal for use in low resource healthcare settings, where many designs have already been successfully implemented. Yet, little has been studied on how 3D printing can be sustainably and functionally implemented in low resource healthcare systems as a manufacturing practice. In this report, three business models are proposed for this implementation: In-House Operator, Independent Operator, and Print Farm. These models were then tested over four months in Kisumu county, Kenya, at two workshops and seven public hospitals. I worked with local medical …

Degradable Zinc Material Characteristics And Its Influence On Biocompatibility In An In-Vivo Murine Model, Roger J. Guillory Ii

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Biodegradable stents based on zinc have been under development since their introduction in 2013. While metallic zinc is highly ductile, it unfortunately lacks the mechanical strength required for arterial stents. This has led to the development of an abundance of novel zinc-based materials, with the aim of improving the mechanical strength without sacrificing too much ductility. Although these materials are intended to function and slowly degrade within an artery, most zinc-based materials have been developed without deep consideration for their biological effects.

The present work explores the biological effects elicited by zinc-based materials implanted within the arterial system. The biological …

Investigative Study On Nitric Oxide Production In Human Dermal Fibroblast Cells Under Normal And High Glucose Conditions, Maria Paula Kwesiga, Emily Cook, Jennifer Hannon, Sarah Wayward, Caroline Gwaltney, Smitha Rao, Megan C. Frost

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are a major health problem associated with diabetes mellitus. Impaired nitric oxide (NO) production has been shown to be a major contributor to the dysregulation of healing in DFU. The level of impairment is not known primarily due to challenges with measuring NO. Herein, we report the actual level of NO produced by human dermal fibroblasts cultured under normal and high glucose conditions. Fibroblasts produce the extracellular matrix, which facilitate the migration of keratinocytes to close wounds. The results show that NO production was significantly higher in normal glucose compared to high glucose conditions. The real-time …

Fall 2018 Biomedical Engineering Newsletter, Department Of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Biomedical Engineering Newsletters

Table of Contents

• Global Research, Local Impact: Keat Ghee Ong
• Mechanobiology: Sangyoon Han Measures Cellular Force
• Rupak Rajachar Accelerates Healing in Humans - and Whales
• Optical Elastography Gathers Better Data for Avon
• Making Stents: NSF Graduate Research Fellow Roger Guillory

Synthesis And Characterization Of Controlled Nitric Oxide Release From S-Nitroso-N-Acetyl-D-Penicillamine Covalently Linked To Polyvinyl Chloride (Snap-Pvc), Sean Hopkins, Megan C. Frost

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is one of the most widely used polymers in medicine but has very poor biocompatibility when in contact with tissue or blood. To increase biocompatibility, controlled release of nitric oxide (NO) can be utilized to mitigate and reduce the inflammatory response. A synthetic route is described where PVC is aminated to a specified degree and then further modified by covalently linking S-nitroso-N-acetyl-d-penicillamine (SNAP) groups to the free primary amine sites to create a nitric oxide releasing polymer (SNAP-PVC). Controllable release of NO from SNAP-PVC is described using photoinitiation from light emitting diodes (LEDs). Ion-mediated NO release is …

Incorporation Of Anionic Monomer To Tune The Reversible Catechol-Boronate Complex For Ph Responsive, Reversible Adhesion, Ameya R. Narkar, Bruce P. Lee

Department of Biomedical Engineering Publications

Up to 30 mol% of acrylic acid (AAc) was incorporated into a pH responsive smart adhesive consisting of dopamine methacrylamide (DMA) and 3-acrylamido phenylboronic acid (APBA). FTIR spectroscopy and rheometry confirmed that the incorporation of AAc shifted the pH of catechol-boronate complexation to a more basic pH. Correspondingly, adhesive formulations with elevated AAc contents demonstrated strong adhesion to quartz substrate at a neutral to mildly basic pH (pH 7.5-8.5) based on Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) contact mechanics test. When pH was further increased to pH 9.0, there was a drastic reduction in the measured work of adhesion (18 and 7 fold reduction …

The Effect Of Nd On Mechanical Properties And Corrosion Performance Of Biodegradable Mg-5%Zn Alloy, Lilach Elkaiam, Orly Hakimi, Jeremy Goldman, Eli Aghion

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Mg based implants are limited by their poor strength, ductility, and corrosion performance in physiological environments, drawbacks further compounded by their premature loss of mechanical integrity and evolution of harmful hydrogen gas. Neodymium additions to magnesium have been shown to improve mechanical properties through precipitation and solid solution hardening. Therefore, the present study incorporated Nd additions (up to 3%) into a promising Mg-5%Zn-0.13%Y-0.35%Zr alloy to improve mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. The microstructure evaluation of a series of alloys was performed using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction analysis. The mechanical properties were examined in terms of …

Bioactive Polydimethylsiloxane Surface For Optimal Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Sheet Culture, Zichen Qian, David Ross, Wenkai Jia, Qi Xing, Feng Zhao

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) sheets hold great potential in engineering three-dimensional (3D) completely biological tissues for diverse applications. Conventional cell sheet culturing methods employing thermoresponsive surfaces are cost ineffective, and rely heavily on available facilities. In this study, a cost-effective method of layer-by-layer grafting was utilized for covalently binding a homogenous collagen I layer on a commonly used polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate surface in order to improve its cell adhesion as well as the uniformity of the resulting hMSC cell sheet. Results showed that a homogenous collagen I layer was obtained via this grafting method, which improved hMSC adhesion and …

Application Of Composite Hydrogels To Control Physical Properties In Tissue Engineering And Regenerative Medicine, Cassidy Sheffield, Kaylee Meyers, Emil Johnson, Rupak Rajachar

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The development of biomaterials for the restoration of the normal tissue structure–function relationship in pathological conditions as well as acute and chronic injury is an area of intense investigation. More recently, the use of tailored or composite hydrogels for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has sought to bridge the gap between natural tissues and applied biomaterials more clearly. By applying traditional concepts in engineering composites, these hydrogels represent hierarchical structured materials that translate more closely the key guiding principles required for improved recovery of tissue architecture and functional behavior, including physical, mass transport, and biological properties. For tissue-engineering scaffolds in …

Recent Developments In Tough Hydrogels For Biomedical Applications, Yuan Liu, Weilue He, Zhongtian Zhang, Bruce P. Lee

Department of Biomedical Engineering Publications

A hydrogel is a three-dimensional polymer network with high water content and has been attractive for many biomedical applications due to its excellent biocompatibility. However, classic hydrogels are mechanically weak and unsuitable for most physiological load-bearing situations. Thus, the development of tough hydrogels used in the biomedical field becomes critical. This work reviews various strategies to fabricate tough hydrogels with the introduction of non-covalent bonds and the construction of stretchable polymer networks and interpenetrated networks, such as the so-called double-network hydrogel. Additionally, the design of tough hydrogels for tissue adhesive, tissue engineering, and soft actuators is reviewed.

Metabolism-Driven High-Throughput Cancer Identification With Glut5-Specific Molecular Probes, Srinivas Kannan, Vagarshak Begoyan, Joseph Fedie, Shuai Xia, Łukasz J. Weseliński, Marina Tanasova, Smitha Rao

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Point-of-care applications rely on biomedical sensors to enable rapid detection with high sensitivity and selectivity. Despite advances in sensor development, there are challenges in cancer diagnostics. Detection of biomarkers, cell receptors, circulating tumor cells, gene identification, and fluorescent tagging are time-consuming due to the sample preparation and response time involved. Here, we present a novel approach to target the enhanced metabolism in breast cancers for rapid detection using fluorescent imaging. Fluorescent analogs of fructose target the fructose-specific transporter GLUT5 in breast cancers and have limited to no response from normal cells. These analogs demonstrate a marked difference in adenocarcinoma and …

The Suitability Of Zn–1.3% Fe Alloy As A Biodegradable Implant Material, Alon Kafri, Shira Ovadia, Jeremy Goldman, Jaroslaw W. Drelich, Eli Aghion

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Efforts to develop metallic zinc for biodegradable implants have significantly advanced following an earlier focus on magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe). Mg and Fe base alloys experience an accelerated corrosion rate and harmful corrosion products, respectively. The corrosion rate of pure Zn, however, may need to be modified from its reported ~20 µm/year penetration rate, depending upon the intended application. The present study aimed at evaluating the possibility of using Fe as a relatively cathodic biocompatible alloying element in zinc that can tune the implant degradation rate via microgalvanic effects. The selected Zn–1.3wt %Fe alloy composition produced by gravity casting …

No-Releasing Polymers And Uses Thereof, Megan C. Frost, Genevieve Romanowicz

Michigan Tech Patents

The present invention provides stable, photosensitive polymers that release NO response to intensity and wavelength of light, methods of making such polymers and methods using such polymers.

An Injectable Thermosensitive Biodegradable Hydrogel Embedded With Snap Containing Plla Microparticles For Sustained Nitric Oxide (No) Delivery For Wound Healing, Nikhil Mittal

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

After injury, wound healing is a complex sequential cascade of events essential for the proper recovery of the wound without the scar formation. Nitric oxide (NO) is a small, endogenous free-radical gas with antimicrobial, vasodilating and growth factor stimulating properties. NO has wide biomedical application especially in wound healing however, its usability is hindered due its administration problem as it is highly unstable.

In this work, poly (l-lactic acid) microparticles encapsulated with NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D-penicillamine (SNAP) were prepared using water-in-oil-water double emulsion solvent evaporation method for controlled delivery for NO at the specific site. The NO release from SNAP-PLLA microparticles …

A Bluetooth Low-Energy Wireless Sensor Platform For Continuous Monitoring Of A Bioreactor Environment During Cell Manufacturing, Brad Nelson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

A wireless sensor platform based on Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) technology was designed and prototyped for continuous monitoring of physical conditions and chemical analytes, which could be applied to bioreactors during the cell manufacturing process. Controlling environmental conditions such as pH, oxygen, glucose, temperature, and pressure is vital to ensure the consistency of the manufactured cells and maintain the potency of the product. Current methods to control bioreactor conditions focus only on monitoring the cell culture environment during cell growth, but there is a lack of direct quantification of cell properties to provide an integrated feedback system that can also maintain …

Reversibly Switching Adhesion Of Smart Adhesives Inspired By Mussel Adhesive Chemistry, Ameya R. Narkar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Catecholic groups in mussel adhesive proteins transition from being strongly adhesive in a reduced state under acidic conditions to being weakly adhesive in an oxidized state under basic conditions. Here, we exploit this pH responsive behavior of catechol and demonstrate that its oxidation state can be manipulated by incorporation of boronic acid to facilitate reversible transitions between strong and weak adhesion. Our first approach involved the addition of 3- acrylamido phenylboronic acid (APBA) to dopamine methacrylamide (DMA) containing adhesives. The synthesized adhesives showed strong adhesion to quartz surface in an acidic medium (pH 3), while weak adhesion was observed on …

Studying Mass And Mechanical Property Changes During The Degradation Of A Bioadhesive With Mass Tracking, Rheology And Magnetoelastic (Me) Sensors, Zhongtian Zhang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In this research, the degradable polymer 4-arm poly (ethylene glycol)-glutaric acid-dopamine (PEG-GA-DM₄) was synthesized. The degradation behavior of crosslinked PEG-GA-DM₄ bioadhesive was studied with mass tracking, oscillatory rheology, and magnetoelastic (ME) sensors. Changes in mechanical properties were correlated with both dry mass and wet mass changes during the degradation. The results indicate that the loss of mechanical property in the bioadhesive can take place without losing the dry mass. The mass loss profile cannot describe the degradation behavior completely. In addition to studying the degradation of PEG-GA-DM₄, this research also confirms the application of ME …

Designing Biomaterials Using Mussel Adhesive Chemistry, Bruce P. Lee

TechTalks

Marine mussels secrete adhesive proteins that enable them to anchor to surfaces under water. We are exploiting chemistry utilized by mussels to design bioadhesives for tissue repair and wound healing, smart biomaterials for on-demand antipathogenic applications, and smart adhesives that can be turned on and off with externally applied stimuli.

The Prospects Of Zinc As A Structural Material For Biodegradable Implants—A Review Paper, Galit Katarivas Levy, Jeremy Goldman, Eli Aghion

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

In the last decade, iron and magnesium, both pure and alloyed, have been extensively studied as potential biodegradable metals for medical applications. However, broad experience with these material systems has uncovered critical limitations in terms of their suitability for clinical applications. Recently, zinc and zinc-based alloys have been proposed as new additions to the list of degradable metals and as promising alternatives to magnesium and iron. The main byproduct of zinc metal corrosion, Zn²⁺, is highly regulated within physiological systems and plays a critical role in numerous fundamental cellular processes. Zn²⁺ released from an implant may suppress …

Effects Of Short Term Hypoxia-Preconditioning On Glial Phenotype Induction Of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Zichen Qian, Qi Xing, Corey Fase, Kyle Jansen, Feng Zhao

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Development of successful clinical treatments for peripheral nerve injury is limited due to the complications behind neural physiology. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have the ability to directly promote tissue repair and protect cells at the injury site. Studies have shown that hMSCs can be transplanted to improve nerve regeneration. Hypoxic culture condition has been proven to maintain the stemness of hMSCs for later differentiation. In this study, we investigated the effects of low oxygen (O₂) (2% and 5% O₂) pre-treatment and initial seeding density (500, 1000, and 2000 cells/cm²) on glial protein expression …

Biomechanics And Imaging, Jingfeng Jiang

TechTalks

From the perspective of biomechanics, my research is multidisciplinary, bridging the gap between physiology/biology and quantitative sciences. Currently, the applications are on cancer detection and differentiation, therapeutic monitoring, staging liver fibrosis, risk assessment of aneurysm rupture, and more.

Implantable Sensors For Regenerative Medicine, Keat Ghee Ong

TechTalks

In vivo, real-time measurement of local environmental parameters such as strain, pressure, temperature, pH, oxygen tension and specific biomarkers can be valuable for regenerative medicine research and therapies. Wireless implantable sensors are an attractive approach for certain regenerative medicine applications due to its relative simplicity and low cost. Presented here are such two implantable sensors. The first sensor is based on a miniature wireless sensor network that can digitize physical and chemical parameters and continuously stream measurements to a nearby receiver via a 2-way communication protocol. With the incorporation of a strain gauge, this sensor platform was applied to record …

Biodegradable Zinc Vascular Implant Materials, Jeremy Goldman

TechTalks

Bioabsorbable metal stents are being developed to mitigate the long-term side effects associated with corrosion-resistant stents. A decade-long research with iron (Fe)- and magnesium (Mg)-based stent materials has concluded with little success. Fe produces a voluminous, retained oxide product in the arterial wall, whereas Mg and its alloys corrode too rapidly. A breakthrough in the field of biodegradable metallic stents was made in 2013 in our research team (Drs. Goldman – Biomedical Engineering and Drelich – Materials Science and Engineering) with the introduction of zinc (Zn) and its alloys, which are free of the flaws observed for Fe- and Mg-based …

Structural Characteristics And Corrosion Behavior Of Bio-Degradable Zn-Li Alloys In Stent Application, Shan Zhao

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Zinc has begun to be studied as a bio-degradable material in recent years due to its excellent corrosion rate and optimal biocompatibility. Unfortunately, pure Zn’s intrinsic ultimate tensile strength (UTS; below 120 MPa) is lower than the benchmark (about 300 MPa) for cardiovascular stent materials, raising concerns about sufficient strength to support the blood vessel. Thus, modifying pure Zn to improve its mechanical properties is an important research topic.

In this dissertation project, a new Zn-Li alloy has been developed to retain the outstanding corrosion behavior from Zn while improving the mechanical characteristics and uniform biodegradation once it is implanted …

Computational Studies On Biomechanics Of Concussion And On Efficacy Of Football Helmets, David Labyak

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Football helmets have been used for many years to prevent head injuries to players. Over the years, the helmet design has evolved from a crude leather head covering to the more recent form fitting helmets that are seen today. The one design feature that has been common in the majority of all helmets is a hard polycarbonate shell with a foam cushion padding. The main goal of the padding layer was to reduce the amount of linear acceleration during an impact event. The one feature that has been overlooked is how stiff the padding is in rotation.

The purpose of …

Formulation And Testing Of Biodegradable Polymeric Coating On Zinc Wires In Cardiovascular Stent Application, Avishan Arab Shomali

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Biodegradable and biocompatible poly (L-lactic-acid) (PLLA) coating was applied on a modified zinc (Zn) substrate by dip coating, with the intent to delay the bio-corrosion and slow the degradation rate of zinc substrate. 3-(Trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (MPS) was used for modification of the zinc substrate for promoting the adhesion between the metallic substrate and the polymer coating. It is hypothesized that the delay in Zn biodegradation could be useful in the first several weeks to prevent the early loss of mechanical integrity of the endovascular stent and to improve the healing process of the diseased vascular site. The PLLA coating …

A Wireless, Passive Sensor For Measuring Temperature At Orthopedic Implant Sites For Early Diagnosis Of Infections, Salil Sidharthan Karipott

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Sensorized implants with embedded wireless, passive temperature sensors were developed for early detection of implant-associated infections. The operation principle of the sensor is based on the hypothesis that infections can lead to an increase in local temperature prior to the rise of body temperature. The sensor was an inductive capacitive (LC) circuit that has been used for monitoring of different parameters wirelessly, often in difficult to access environments. The sensor was fabricated on to an interference screw, which is used for tendon and ligament reconstruction surgeries. In this project, a sensorized interference screw was designed and fabricated by accommodating an …

Design Of Robust Hydrogel Based On Mussel-Inspired Chemistry, Yuan Liu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The structure of catechol is found in mussel adhesive proteins and contributed to both wet-resistant adhesion and cohesive curing of these proteins. A synthetic nano-silicate, Laponite was incorporated into catechol-containing hydrogels and the hydrogel network-bound catechol formed strong reversible interfacial interaction with Laponite. The contribution of incorporated catechol-Laponite reversible interfacial interactions to the mechanics of hydrogels constructed by different strategies was studied. In the first strategy, Laponite and catechol were introduced into the double network hydrogel (DN) via the free radical co-polymerization of a catechol-containing monomer, backbone monomer, and crosslinker. The introduction of catechol-Laponite interactions significantly improved the compressive strength …

Implantable Wireless Sensor Networks: Application To Measuring Temperature For In Vivo Detection Of Infections, Praharsh Madappaly Veetil

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

It is has been proven that infection in the body cause a local temperature increase due to localized inflammation. Therefore, a method to provide early diagnostic or long-term tracking of this infection will provide great benefits to patients with diabetic foot ulcers or sickle cell disease, and those receiving hemodialysis where they suffer from a weakened immune system. The goal of this project is to develop an implantable wireless temperature sensor based on a wireless sensor network system for monitoring infections in situ. The analog signals from the thermistors are digitized and wirelessly transmitted to a computer with an ez430-rf2500 …