Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Engineer And Test A Biodegradable Microneedle Patch To Deliver Meloxicam For Managing Pain In Cattle, Katherine Alejandra Miranda Munoz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microneedle patches are a promising source for transdermal diffusion of macromolecules and are designed to painlessly penetrate the skin. In this study, a biodegradable chitosan microneedle patch to deliver meloxicam for managing pain in cattle was tested. The potential of reuse of the polymeric solution to fabricate the patches, optimization of fabrication, morphological analysis of the microneedle patch and analysis of preservation of the chemical composition after sterilization were evaluated. In-vitro analysis consisted of studying in-vitro penetration mechanical properties, compression testing analysis of microneedle patch, and in-vitro drug release analysis. In-vivo studies were performed to analyze the dissolution capability of …

Enhancing Human Schwann Cells Reparative Behavior Using Heparin/Collagen Layer-By-Layer Coatings, Luis Carlos Pinzon-Herrera

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When a peripheral nerve injury (PNI) occurs, the gold standard for tissue regeneration is the use of autografts. However, due to the secondary effects produced by multiple surgeries involved in the removal and implantation of autografts for very small lesions, it is possible to replace them with the use of Nerve Guide Conduits (NGCs). However, NGCs are limited to short lesions (less than 1 cm). This limitation is caused by the absence of compounds in the extracellular matrix (ECM) that autografts can provide. Since much of the regenerative process takes place on the NGC surface, our work aims to modify …

Ultrasound Mediated Tissue Growth In Bioinspired Scaffolds, Marco Fielder

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Porous scaffolds mechanically stimulated with ultrasound are used for the treatment of bone conditions such as osteoporosis or traumatic bone injury. However, one current issue in these treatment techniques is designing a scaffold structure with a high structural integrity that also does not impede tissue growth. A larger ultrasound wave transmission would also allow more of a scaffold to receive mechanical stimulation from ultrasound. Controlling mesenchymal stem cell seeding of tissue scaffolds also has potential for developing optimal seeding patterns to maximize or control tissue growth in the scaffold based on an individual’s physiology. There is also a need for …

Evaluation Of Cellulose Nanocrystal Inks And Their Structural Characteristics For 3d Bioprinting Of Customized Scaffolds, Patrick William Kuczwara

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

3D bioprinting of biological scaffolds requires control of the physicochemical properties of each unique structures. A promising material for control of properties is hydrogels, which can help create biomimetic scaffolds with controlled spatial arrangement of materials by integrating biological materials directly into layers during the bioprinting process. Nanocellulose offers a unique combination of properties including mechanical, biomimetic, and biocompatibility. These properties offer flexibility over the types, shapes, and applications of their printed hydrogel scaffolds, (i.e., tissue, drug, encapsulation). However, 3D bioprinting of nanocellulose-based hydrogels requires high loading percentages (i.e., >10 wt%) or chemical crosslinkers (i.e., bis(acyl)phosphane oxides (BAPO)). High solid …

Fiber-Based Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting As A Method For Investigating Metabolism During Tetanic Contraction Of Skeletal Muscle, Kathryn Miller Priest

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a cofactor that serves to shuttle electrons during metabolic processes such as glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) [1-5]. The reduced form of NAD, NADH, is autofluorescent, making it a measurable characteristic in the investigation of metabolic changes. The fluorescence lifetime of NADH is dependent on the state of protein binding, specifically free or bound NADH, allowing for detection of metabolic shifts between glycolysis (free NADH) and OXPHOS (bound NADH) [6-16]. Fiber-coupled time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) equipped with an implantable needle probe can be used to measure NADH lifetime in vivo …

Biodegradable Microneedle Patch For Delivery Of Meloxicam For Managing Pain In Cattle, David A. Castilla-Casadiego, Katherine A. Miranda-Munoz, Jesse L. Roberts, Anne D. Crowell, David Gonzalez-Nino, Dipankar Choudhury, Frank O. Aparicio-Solis, Shannon L. Servoss, Adrianne M. Rosales, Gary Prinz, Min Zou, Yuntao Zhang, Johann F. Coetzee, Lauren F. Greenlee, Jeremy Powell, Jorge Almodovar

Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Microneedle patches are a promising source for transdermal diffusion of macromolecules and are designed to painlessly penetrate the skin. In this study, a biodegradable chitosan microneedle patch to deliver meloxicam for managing pain in cattle was tested. The potential of reuse of the polymeric solution to fabricate the patches, optimization of fabrication, morphological analysis of the microneedle patch and analysis of preservation of the chemical composition after sterilization were evaluated. In-vitro analysis consisted of studying in-vitro penetration mechanical properties, compression testing analysis of microneedle patch, and in-vitro drug release analysis. In-vivo studies were performed to analyze the dissolution capability of …

Restoring An Iso:5840-Compliant Pulse Duplicator Device For Hydrodynamic Performance Characterization Of Artificial Cardiac Valves, Denver Eagar

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

During the summer of 2021, I was employed as an intern at Dynatek Labs, an implantable prosthetics testing company located in southern Missouri. My primary project was to modernize an abandoned pulse duplicator device and protocol to allow the company to re-enter a market area which they left nearly 15 years prior: heart valve testing. The company halted this initiative due to changes in international testing standards in previous years. The International Standards Organization Cardiac Valves Working Group released the latest version of standards concerning artificial heart valve testing (ISO 5840) in January of 2021. Accordingly, my project required that …

Performance And Fouling During Bioreactor Harvesting, Da Zhang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tangential flow filtration has many advantages for bioreactor harvesting as the permeate could be introduced directly to the subsequent capture step, the process is easy to scale up, and fouling of the filter is limited by the cross flow. However, membrane fouling has limited its widespread use. This is particularly problematic given the high cell densities encountered today. Here a reverse asymmetric commercial membrane, BioOptimal™ MF-SL (Asahi Kasei), where the more open surface faces the feed stream, and the tighter barrier layer faces the permeate stream, has been investigated for bioreactor harvesting. The open surface contains pores up to 40 …

In Vitro Blood Clot Formation And Dissolution For Testing New Stroke-Treatment Devices, Kayla Wood, Sam E. Stephens, Feng Xu, Alshaimaa Hazaa, James C. Meek, Hanna K. Jensen, Morten O. Jensen, S. Ranil Wickramasinghe

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Strokes are among the leading causes of death worldwide. Ischemic stroke, due to plaque or other buildup blocking blood flow to the brain, is the most common type. Although ischemic stroke is treatable, current methods have severe shortcomings with high mortality rates. Clot retrieval devices, for example, can result in physically damaged vessels and death. This study aims to create blood clots that are representative of those found in vivo and demonstrate a new method of removing them. Static blood clots were formed using a 9:1 ratio of whole sheep blood and 2.45% calcium chloride solution. This mixture was heated …

Incorporating Immersive Learning Into Biomedical Engineering Laboratories Using Virtual Reality, Megan Wilkerson, Vitali V. Maldonado, Srikanth Sivaraman, Raj R. Rao, Mostafa Elsaadany

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

The Covid-19 pandemic caused a sudden shift towards remote learning, moving classes to online formats. Not exempt from this switch, laboratory courses traditionally taught in-person were also moved to remote methods, costing students the opportunity to learn these skills hands-on. In order for instructors to provide course materials effectively and engagingly, non-traditional methods should be explored.

Virtual reality (VR) has become more accessible in recent years. VR simulations have been used for many years as educational tools in high-risk settings such as flight or medical simulations. Immersive VR videos implemented in a remote laboratory course could provide the students …

Fabrication And Non-Covalent Functionalization And Characterization Of Graphene-Based Devices On Novel Substrate Cadmium Trithiophosphate (Iv) — Cdps, Abayomi Omotola Omolewu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With graphene at the center of several application areas such as sensing, circuits, high-frequency devices for communication systems, etc., it is crucial to understand how the intrinsic properties of devices made from graphene and other materials like platinum and palladium nanoparticles affect the performance of such devices for the specific application area. Many graphene-based devices for different application areas have focused mainly on the material composition of the graphene-based devices and how it affects performance parameters for the specific application. However, it would be insightful to understand how the intrinsic electrical properties of the graphene devices for different applications affect …

Modeling The Impact And Accelerating The Process Of Transitioning To A Sustainable Healthy Diet Through Decision Support Systems, Prince Agyemang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food production and consumption are essential in human existence, yet they are implicated in the high occurrences of preventable chronic diseases and environmental degradation. Although healthy food may not necessarily be sustainable and vice versa, there is an opportunity to make our food both healthy and sustainable. Attempts have been made to conceptualize how sustainable healthy food may be produced and consumed; however, available data suggest a rise in the prevalence of health-related and negative environmental consequences of our food supply. Thus, the transition from conceptual frameworks to implementing these concepts has not always been effective. This paper explores the …

Novel Neurostimulation-Based Haptic Feedback Platform For Grasp Interactions With Virtual Objects, Aliyah K. Shell, Andres E. Pena, James J. Abbas, Ranu Jung

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Haptic perception is a vital part of the human experience that enriches our engagement with the world, but the ability to provide haptic information in virtual reality (VR) environments is limited. Neurostimulation-based sensory feedback has the potential to enhance the immersive experience within VR environments by supplying relevant and intuitive haptic feedback related to interactions with virtual objects. Such feedback may contribute to an increase in the sense of presence and realism in VR and may contribute to the improvement of virtual reality simulations for future VR applications. This work developed and evaluated xTouch, a neuro-haptic platform that extends the …

Functional Analysis Of The Cortical Transcriptome And Proteome Reveal Neurogenesis, Inflammation, And Cell Death After Repeated Traumatic Brain Injury In Vivo, Celeste Dunn, Lais A. Ferreira, Sara M. Venier, Syed F. Ali, Jeffery Wolchok, Kartik Balachandran

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The pathological effects of repeated traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are largely unknown. To gain a detailed understanding of the cortical tissue acute biological response after one or two TBIs, we utilized RNA-sequencing and protein mass spectrometry techniques. Using our previously validated C57Bl/6 weight-drop model, we administered one or two TBIs of a mild or moderate severity. Double injury conditions were spaced 7 days apart, and cortical tissue was isolated 24 h after final injury. Analysis was carried out through functional gene annotation, utilizing Gene Ontology, for both the proteome and transcriptome. Major themes across the four different conditions include: neurogenesis; …

A Versatile Python Package For Simulating Dna Nanostructures With Oxdna, Kira Threlfall

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The ability to synthesize custom DNA molecules has led to the feasibility of DNA nanotechnology. Synthesis is time-consuming and expensive, so simulations of proposed DNA designs are necessary. Open-source simulators, such as oxDNA, are available but often difficult to configure and interface with. Packages such as oxdna-tile-binding pro- vide an interface for oxDNA which allows for the ability to create scripts that automate the configuration process. This project works to improve the scripts in oxdna-tile-binding to improve integration with job scheduling systems commonly used in high-performance computing environments, improve ease-of-use and consistency within the scripts compos- ing oxdna-tile-binding, and move …

Developing A Semester-Long Project In A Biomechanical Engineering Course To Instill The Entrepreneurial Mindset In The Next-Generation Biomedical Engineering Students, Loren Hedgecock

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Entrepreneurial-Minded Learning (EML) is an emerging pedagogy progressively gaining popularity in the engineering education community. Coincided with project-based learning (PBL), EML illustrates an essential dimension to the instruction of next-generation engineers, equipping them with various perspectives and approaches to relate societal challenges with technical concepts. Nationwide initiatives, such as the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), have developed a learning framework specifically designed to create engineers such as these. The implementation of EML aims to stimulate connections, create value, and ignite curiosity. This study introduced a semester-long project based on these EML skillsets in a sophomore-level biomechanical engineering course. To evaluate …

The Interaction Of Angiotensin I And Ii On Calcified Aortic Valve Cells, Fah Sysavanh

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cardiovascular diseases affect the older population with limited treatments available. Aortic valve stenosis is a cardiovascular disease in which the aortic valve narrows, causing blood flow constriction and calcification.¹ The only treatment is to replace the valve, which can be costly and lead to other health complications.

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a pathway that helps with maintaining cardiovascular homeostasis. Angiotensin I (ANGI) and II (ANGII) are hormones in the RAS that cause an increase in inflammation, stress, and blood pressure by binding to the Angiotensin Type 1 Receptor (AT1R).¹ Gelatin-based valve thin film (vTF) platforms were fabricated to investigate …

Alternative Fixation Of Venous Valves For Bioprosthetic Applications, Makenzie Kapales

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Venous valve failure allows for the retrograde, or backward, flow of blood into the lower extremities, which leads to Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI). CVI infringes upon quality of life through ulceration and can result in death due to Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), or blood clots, causing pulmonary embolism. A successful treatment of CVI restores valve function and prevents retrograde blood flow; however, current bioprosthetic venous valves exhibit low patency and high calcification. To improve upon bioprosthetic venous valves and CVI treatment, the University of Arkansas’s Cardiovascular Biomechanics Lab conducts studies with the purpose of comparing the properties and performance of …

Virtual Reality As An Education Tool In Biomedical Engineering, Megan Wilkerson

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Virtual Reality (VR) has become more accessible in recent years, both to experience and to create. Various studies have shown that incorporating VR in an educational setting can yield positive results. Virtual reality videos created using course-specific content could prove to be a beneficial educational tool. VR videos were implemented in a remote biomolecular engineering laboratory course. 180° VR videos of lab procedures were recorded and viewed by students using a Google Cardboard headset and their smartphones. After viewing all the VR lab videos, students were given a survey to report their experiences. The survey contained questions used to measure …

Sequential Illumination In A Tomographic Microendoscopic Probe For Imaging Tumor Microvasculature, Zachariah Neumeier

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Knowledge of colorectal cancer biology is improving how we approach cancer treatment. Specifically, the tumor microenvironment and abnormal angiogenesis are of particular interest. Optical methods are a prime candidate for research of the tumor microenvironment due to their ability to quantitively assess tissue structure and perfusion in real time. Particularly, the “transport scattering regime” has been identified as a method of obtaining high-resolution images and reflectance spectroscopy data; this light scattering regime has been demonstrated compatible with endoscopic imaging systems. In this study, a proof-of-concept optical imaging system is presented, capable of resolving absorbers within scattering turbid media using a …

Atomic Force Microscopy Based Dna Sensing And Manipulation, Matthew Shubert

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sequencing DNA provides a positive impact for the biomedical community by understanding a wide variety of applications such as human genetics, disease, and pathogens. The reason the Arkansas Micro & Nano Systems lab is involved with research in DNA sequencing is due to the current, leading industry method. Nanopore sequencing was developed by Oxford Nanopore Technology in which its sequencing method separates double stranded DNA to electrically characterize individual nucleotides traveling through a charged nanopore. Unfortunately, nanopore sequencing uses biological materials that require a shelf life and drives high cost. Therefore, the Arkansas Micro & Nano Systems lab has developed …

The Effects Of Microgravity On Human Endothelial Cells In Relation To Deep Vein Thrombosis, Allie Burgess

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition where blood clots form in one or more of the deep veins of the body, causing leg pain and/or swelling, potentially leading to pulmonary embolism and/or stroke. The incidence of DVT among astronauts serving on the International Space Station has been shown to be greater than that of the general population, calling into question the effects of microgravity on human thrombolytic processes. Additionally, microgravity conditions have been shown to cause muscular atrophy and a decrease in muscle strength and mobility. Because collagen composes a large portion of muscle tissue, this study also assessed …

Hydrogel Drug Delivery Platform Integrity And Utilization Analysis, Joshua Carson Adams

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) generally results in permanent sensorimotor dysfunction. This is due to failed axonal regeneration at the site of injury. Recent studies have highlighted the use of stem-cell based therapies embedded in hydrogel to treat SCI. Embedding cell therapies in hydrogel provides a platform that increases the survival of both integrated grafted cells and stem cells/stem cell progeny. There are a variety of drug delivery agents for treating SCI such as neuro-regenerative cells and Schwann cells, however, single agents are not promising for functional regeneration. We propose a combinatorial approach using sciatic nerve (SN) extracellular matrix (ECM), …

Determination Of Tissue-Level Changes In Tumors That Are Indicative Of Metastasis Using Optical Spectroscopy, Sanidhya D. Tripathi

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Breast cancer, accounting for 12% of all new cancer cases, is one of the leading causes of death in women worldwide. Although patient survival has improved over the years, metastatic spread to other organ sites and not due to the primary tumor is the most common form of tumor recurrence, accounting for 90% deaths. Hypoxia is a common hallmark of solid tumors and is linked with metastasis, therapeutic resistance, and poor patient survival. Defined as a state of decreased oxygen availability, cells under hypoxia have an increased rate of genetic mutation, local invasion, and resistance to treatment such as radiation …

Characterizing The Expression Pattern And Function Of Tartan During Drosophila Development, Alaina Baggett

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The development of complex structures and organs by multicellular organisms relies on the ability of epithelial cells to self-organize. Epithelia are sheets of connected cells, and compartment boundaries are formed between certain epithelial cells to create distinct tissue compartments. Compartment boundaries are specialized cell-cell interfaces that are enriched for the cytoskeletal proteins actin and myosin, leading to straight cell edges under relatively high tension that act as fences keep cells from moving between compartments. In the model organism Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), compartment boundaries in the early embryo are established in response to the non-uniform striped expression of the cell-surface …

Isolation And Production Of Tandem Collagen Binding Domain From Clostridial Collagenase Colg And Developments In C1q Reagent Production For Future Molecule Characterization Work, Stephanie Beitle

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis covers a two part project: the production methods to create a double collagen binding domain molecule with a growth factor for wound healing applications and the development of a new in-house production method for isolating C1q from bovine blood. The wound healing molecule was created using transformation, sonication, and purification before being tested via electrophoresis SDS page and Western blots to confirm the molecule’s presence. The C1q in-house production method utilizes an ultrafiltration flow cell rather than dialysis at a critical point in the process, allowing for researchers to not only be able to use a single small …

Modifications Of A Machine To Produce Clinically-Sized Angioplasty Balloons For Bifurcations, Natalie Smith

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease and the leading cause of death in the U.S. ("Heart Disease Facts | cdc.gov", 2021). Typically, coronary artery disease is a result of coronary stenosis, constriction of the coronary artery, which can cause heart failure, arrhythmia, or heart attack ("Coronary Artery Disease: Prevention, Treatment and Research", 2021). Angioplasty balloons are a common treatment method for coronary stenosis and work by placing a stent at the lesion site to widen the vessel and promote blood flow. A type of lesion which remains particularly difficult and relatively common to treat is …

3d Volumetric Mapping Of Tissue Properties Via A Catheter-Scale Microendoscope Imaging System, Andrew Stark

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The study of tumor microvasculature is an important area of interest for research and clinical communities; however, there are significant limitations in the clinical characterization of the tumor microenvironment. Optical methods offer quantitative real-time measurement of tissue structure and perfusion and can be miniaturized for deployment endoscopically into previously inaccessible locations. However, conventional optical methods (i.e., optical coherence tomography, white light endoscopy, etc.) gives limited information about tissue perfusion while the diameter of various optical probes along with the complexity of scanning mechanisms make it difficult to access certain areas. In this study, a new technique for characterizing the tumor …

Erythrocyte Deformability In Response To Glucose Using Liquid Crystals, Jayden Goff

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The worldwide prevalence of diabetes mellitus is rapidly increasing with about 9.3% of the adult population living with the disease. People with diabetes have trouble regulating their blood glucose levels which typically leads to hyperglycemia. Under normal physiological conditions, erythrocytes can undergo deformations in response to shear stress when passing through capillaries with a smaller diameter. Poorly managed hyperglycemia can lead to the glycosylation of erythrocyte membrane proteins and hemoglobin. This glycosylation leads to increased rigidity of the cells along with decreased deformability in response to mechanical stress; therefore, these cells have a higher susceptibility of getting stuck in the …

Clot Analogs For The Development Of Improved Treatment Methods In Ischemic Stroke, Charles A. Rieth

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

According to the CDC, nearly 800,000 individuals experience stroke each year in the United States [1]. Greater than 70% of strokes are of ischemic etiology and involve the occlusion of key arteries in the cardiovascular system [2]. Tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA) is the current gold standard for thrombolytic approaches [3]; however, this therapeutic is only effective between 3 and 4.5 hours from the patient’s last know well [4]. As a result, less than 5% of acute ischemic stroke patients receive IV-tPA. In order to increase the viability of AIS treatment as a whole, it is essential that thrombolytic techniques are …