Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

High-Throughput Metabolism-Induced Toxicity Assays On A 384-Pillar Plate, Sooyeion Kang

ETD Archive

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the Transform Tox Testing Challenge in 2016 with the goal of developing practical methods that can be integrated into conventional high-throughput screening (HTS) assays to better predict the toxicity of parent compounds and their metabolites in vivo. In response to this need and to retrofit existing HTS assays for assessing metabolism-induced toxicity of compounds, we have developed a 384-pillar plate that is complementary to traditional 384-well plates and ideally suited for culturing human cells in three dimensions (3D) at a microscale. Briefly, human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells in a mixture of alginate …

Novel Auto-Calibrating Neural Motor Decoder For Robust Prosthetic Control, Andrew Earl Montgomery

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The overarching goal of this project is to develop novel neural motor decoders for prosthetic control. EMG decoders measure the activity from an intact but non-target muscle. Neural motor decoders transform the signal measured from the severed motor axons of the target muscle. A multi-scale, highly-realistic computer model of a spinal motor pool was developed (Allen & Elbasiouny, 2018) to serve as a computational platform for decoder development and testing. A firing rate-based algorithm was developed to transform the aggregate discharge of the motor pool into a command signal to control the simulated prosthetic MuJoCo hand. This algorithm was informed …

Using Crosslinked Hyaluronic Acid (Ha) And Collagen Scaffolds With Sustained Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (Bdnf) Release For Post-Sci Nerve Regeneration, Panth Doshi

UROP Posters

Traumatic events resulting in spinal cord injuries (SCIs) often leave people paralyzed or with partial loss of motor function. The physical disabilities arising from traumatic events prevent people from functioning at the same level as pre-injury. My work aims to identify a plausible method to overcome the inhibitory post-SCI environment and to regenerate nervous tissue in order to restore neural function and, subsequently, motor function. I identified components of a new, hypothetical nerve scaffold based on the immune response after SCIs and the efficacy of currently used scaffolds for nerve regeneration. Hyaluronic acid (HA) polymer scaffolds and collagen-based scaffolds are …

C-Jun N-Terminal Kinase Inhibitory Nanotherapeutics For Regenerative Elastic Matrix Repair In Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, Andrew T. Camardo

ETD Archive

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are localized expansions of the aorta wall that continue to grow until they reach a critical size and fatally rupture. This growth is driven by the chronic disruption, degradation, and subsequent loss of aortal wall elastic fibers by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) secreted by inflammatory cells recruited to the aorta wall following an injury stimulus, and the inherent inability of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) to naturally repair or regenerate elastic fibers. This leads to a net loss of elastic matrix and the continuing weakening of the aortal wall until eventual rupture. Current treatments seek to reinforce …

Design And Control Of A Powered Rowing Machine With Programmable Impedance, Jose Humberto De La Casas Zolezzi

ETD Archive

Due to the rise of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, research in human performance and physical activity has received increased attention. Rowing machines are used for performance improvements through concentric exercises, however a combination of concentric and eccentric actions is known to improve the effectiveness of training. In this work, a conventional rowing machine was modified to include an electric motor and a robust impedance control system, enabling programmable impedance with concentric and eccentric capabilities. Eccentric exercises are known to contribute significantly to the efficacy of training and to diminish the detrimental effects of humans operating in microgravity for long …

Cathepsin K Targeting Matrix Regenerative Nanoparticles For Small Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair, Jonathan M. Fox

ETD Archive

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are characterized by the loss of elasticity in the aorta wall leading to a chronic increase in diameter and resulting in rupture. This is due to the lack of regeneration of elastic fibers and chronic proteolytic breakdown of elastic fibers within the aorta mediated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), specifically MMP-2 and -9. Previous studies in our lab have shown cationic amphiphile-surface functionalized poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with doxycycline (DOX) to inhibit MMP activity and stimulate elastic matrix synthesis, effects we attributed to both low doses (< 10 mg/ml) of DOX released and independent effects of cationic amphiphile pendant groups on the NP surface. This promises application of these NPs to arrest or regress AAA growth since high oral DOX dosing inhibits new elastic matrix formation in the AAA wall and has undesirable side effects. In this study, we investigated feasibility of antibody-based active targeting of intravenously infused NPs to the AAA wall. Cathepsin K, a cysteine protease, is a biomarker for AAA and overexpressed in abdominal aortic aneurysm tissue making it an ideal target moiety. We have shown using a covalent conjugation method of modifying the surface of the NPs with a cathepsin K antibody resulted in a more robust antibody attachment which did not affect the DOX release profile. Cathepsin K expression was confirmed to be localized on the cell surface and utilizing cathepsin K Ab-conjugated NPs, we demonstrated an increased NP localization to the cathepsin K overexpressing cells in vitro and ex vivo. Importantly, the DOX-loaded NPs demonstrated pro-elastogenic and anti-proteolytic effects in aneurysmal smooth muscle cells supporting their use as regenerative therapies to arrest and regress AAA growth. Preliminary data has been collected indicating cathepsin K Ab-conjugated NP targeting to AAAs in elastase-injured rat models. The study outcomes support the feasibility of using cathepsin K Ab-conjugated NPs as a targeted therapy for elastic matrix regeneration in AAA tissue and will serve as a basis for already initiated follow up studies to assess NP biodistribution, in situ retention in the AAA wall, and safety as a function of time.

Skintronics: Wireless, Skin-Wearable Electronics For Monitoring Of Electrocardiogram, Matthew B. Piper, Woon-Hong Yeo, Yongkuk Lee

UROP Posters

The ECGs I micro-fabricate are designed to be flexible, stretchable and wireless circuits that can be applied to the skin directly. The device is encased in a conformal, silicon-like substrate, that allows the ECG to be attached with the electrodes. Each electrode has been previously measured and verified that it will be correctly placed for an accurate reading. Prototyping this ECG/electrode device allows the user to mount the prototype directly to the patient without having to attach and wire ten other electrodes. This prototype solves the issue that comes about when a doctor, nurse or emergency medical technician must attach …

Automated Microscopy Platform For High-Throughput Analysis Of Cellular Characteristics, Hussam Ibrahim

Physics: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Existing microscopy platforms allow analysis post-hoc, but not in real time. This is an issue in the world of Bioengineering because you are limited to performing further analysis on specimen. The aim of my research was to design a sophisticated system whereby information can be exchanged between the software which acquires images and software that analyzes the images immediately after acquisition. In this system, images would be acquired by the microscope and analyzed by customized scripts (MATLAB, Mathworks) in real time. Specifically, MATLAB would wait for new images to be saved on the hard drive, import these images, and perform …

Design Of Exercise Equipment For Wheelchair Users: A Case Study In Accessibility Standards, Kate Craddock Rescsanszky

Honors Scholar Theses

Engineers must consider a number of aspects of every project they work on. Accessibility is one aspect that presents a unique challenge. Rather than being based on absolute material parameters, accessibility is based on how people interact with technology and their built environment. Since 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act has been the predominant standard in accessibility because of its wide reach and legal mandate. In addition to the ADA, the ASTM and the Institute for Universal Design offer helpful guidelines for designing for accessibility. However, in addition to standards, guidelines, and recommendations, it is important to consult the intended …

Introduction To Biomedical Engineering, Maribel Vazquez

Open Educational Resources

An overview of the field of biomedical engineering designed to acquaint the students with its interdisciplinary nature; research areas presented by the biomedical engineering faculty.

Decitabine-Loaded Nanogel Treatment To Reverse Cancer Drug Resistance, Samantha A. Cramer

ETD Archive

Cancers in which epigenetic changes, such as hypermethylation of DNA, lead to drug resistance cause the cancer to become unresponsive to existing chemotherapeutic treatments. The epigenetic drug – 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine (decitabine, DAC) – is a potent hypomethylating agent, but its effect is transient due to its instability. Previous studies have shown that loading DAC into nanogel significantly enhances its antiproliferative effect (compared to DAC in solution) in drug-resistant breast cancer cells (MCF-7/ADR). Further, the previous studies demonstrated changes in the membrane lipid profile of resistant cells following treatment with DAC either as solution or in nanogels. The objective of the present …

Design And Production Of A Hydrogel Forming Polypeptide: Engaging High School Students In Protein Design, James K. Deyling

ETD Archive

Bioinks are a class of hydrogel that have the potential to be the ink used in the creation of printed organs, connective tissue, and other important structures within the body. One class of material that may be a suitable bioink hydrogel is elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs), which are synthetic biopolymers inspired by the naturally existing connective tissue elastin. ELPs consist of a repeat pentapeptide sequence (GXGVP)n, where X is any of the 20 naturally existing amino acids other than proline. These biomolecules are capable of exhibiting environmental responsiveness when exposed to certain stimulus such as salt concentration, temperature, and pH, depending …

Use Of Eeg To Understand Brain Intensity In Engineering Students Using A Stem Educational Mobile Application, Kevin Hatcher

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In the first two years of undergraduate work in engineering, students are taught concepts such as physics, electronics, and most importantly calculus. It is especially important for students to get a better grasp on foundational math concepts, such as calculus in the beginning or they will be overwhelmed by the workload to come. The focus of this research was to understand how students learning calculus, could benefit from an augmented-educational mobile application. In the study students were measured with electroencephalography (EEG) measurements utilized by the Emotive EPOC® as they attempted to solve different limit themed problems in order to determine …

Fluorescent Biosensors To Measure Endothelial Cell Responses To Fluid Shear Stress, Natalie Noll

UROP Posters

The response of endothelial cells, innermost layer of blood vessels, to blood flow is thought to be critical in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis in the human body is non-random and is highly correlated to vessel sites which experience oscillatory and reversing blood flow. Endothelial cells (ECs), the inner most cell layer of blood vessels are highly responsive to the drag force from blood flow, known as shear stress. To study endothelial cell responses to shear stress we used a parallel plate flow chamber in which we exposed endothelial cells to defined fluid shear stress. Using fluorescence resonance …

Neural Correlates Of Convergence Eye Movements In Convergence Insufficiency Patients Vs Normal Binocular Vision Controls: An Fmri Study, Chirag Bharatkumar Limbachia

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Convergence Insufficiency is a binocular vision disorder, characterized by reduced ability of performing convergence eye movements. Absence of convergence causes, eye strain, blurred vision, doubled vision, headaches, and difficulty reading due frequent loss of place. These symptoms commonly occur during near work. The purpose of this study was to quantify neural correlates associated with convergence eye movements in convergence insufficient (CI) patients vs. normal binocular vision (NBV) controls, and to examine statistical differences between them. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans were collected using a 3T Siemens scanner. A disparity-driven convergence task was designed using a standard block design approach, …

Measuring Brain Activation Through Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Fmri) During Visual Task Learning, Mohd Saif Usmani

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The purpose of this study is to understand the brain activity associated with learning a visual task by utilizing the applications of functional magnetic resonance imaging in cognitive neuroscience. The study was performed using two visual tasks referred to as aircraft and control, respectively. We compared the brain activation of these two visual tasks to understand the learning process of the participants. Fifteen young adults, ten males and five females, ranging in age from 19 to 35 years, participated in a ten-week study. Eight participants dropped out either voluntarily or were excluded for different reasons. The data analysis was completed …

Design And Creation Of A Device To Induce Vergence Eye Movements, Jacob B. Jaminet, Paul A. Wetzel

UROP Posters

Automated eye-tracking systems can detect and analyze eye movements as a means to accurately diagnose more than 20 neurological diseases including mild traumatic brain injury. Mild traumatic brain injury is an occurrence of injury to the head resulting from blunt trauma or from acceleration or deceleration forces. Eye movement refers to the voluntary or involuntary movement of the eyes, helping in acquiring, fixating and tracking visual stimuli. There are three types of voluntary eye movement to track objects: smooth pursuit, vergence shifts and saccades. Vergence shifts are eye movements where the eyes move in opposite directions: moving to the midline …

Human Hair Keratin Protein, Hair Fibers And Hydroxyapatite (Ha) Composite Scaffold For Bone Tissue Regeneration, Samuel Siyum

ETD Archive

The field of tissue engineering aims at promoting the regeneration of tissues or replacement of failing or malfunctioning tissue by means of combining a scaffold material, adequate cells and bioactive molecules. Different materials have been proposed for use as three-dimensional porous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering procedures. Among them, polymers of natural origin are one of the most attractive options mainly due to their similarities with the extracellular matrix (ECM), chemical versatility as well as typically good biological performance. In this study, two biocompatible composite scaffolds were developed from natural polymer by tissue engineering approach and tested in vitro. The …

Validation Of An Accelerometry Based Method Of Human Gait Analysis, Obinna Nwanna

ETD Archive

Gait analysis is the quantification of locomotion. Understanding the science behind the way we move is of interest to a wide variety of fields. Medical professionals might use gait analysis to track the rehabilitation progress of a patient. An engineer may want to design wearable robotics to augment a human operator. Use cases even extend into the sport and entertainment industries. Typically, a gait analysis is performed in a highly specialized laboratory containing cumbersome expensive equipment. The process is tedious and requires specially trained operators. Continued development of small and cheap inertial measurement units (IMUs) over an alternative to current …

Potential Optimal Gait Performance Of Mauch S-N-S Prosthetic Knee Configurations As Predicted By Dynamic Modeling, Chih-Hao Chien

ETD Archive

Patients with prosthetic legs routinely suffer from abnormal gait patterns which can cause health issues and eventually lower the quality of their lives. Despite the half-century advance in the technology of prosthetic knees, from the purely mechanical to microprocessor controlled systems, patient testing suggests that very little progress has been made in the quality of the kinetics and kinematics of amputee gait. Moreover, the cost of microprocessor controlled prosthetic knees may be 10 times more than the purely mechanical knees. While prosthetic knees have become more complex and expensive, it is not proven that the prosthetic knee is a central …

Segmentation And Analysis Of Mris Of Infants With Dysphagia, Irfaan A. Dar

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Neonates are at a rapid stage of development from birth throughout childhood. Impairments to certain cortical areas can result in long lasting neuro-cognitive dysfunctions. Disorders to the swallowing neural pathways can have detrimental effects throughout life course since methods to provide nutrition can be comprised. Dysphagia, or the inability to swallow, can be caused by a multitude of reasons, chiefly neurological, but the underlying disruptions to the neural pathways are not defined. In this study we investigated the growth of multiple cortical areas involved in the swallowing pathway and categorized feeding outcomes with neural growth. Results showed that infants that …

Biomechanics Of Prosthetic Knee Systems : Role Of Dampening And Energy Storage Systems, Hande Argunsah Bayram

ETD Archive

One significant drawback of the commercial passive and microprocessored prosthetic devices, the inability of delivering positive energy when needed, is due to the absence of the knee flexion during stance phase. Moreover, consequences such as circumduction and disturbed gait pattern take place due to the improper energy flow at the knee and the absence of the positive energy delivery during the swing phase. Current generation powered design has solved these problems by delivering the needed energy with heavy battery demanding motors, which increase the mass of the device significantly. Hence, the gait quality of transfemoral amputees has not improved significantly …

Scalp Eeg And Tms Based Electrophysiological Study Of Brain Function Of Motor Control In Aging, Mehmed Satuk Bayram

ETD Archive

Voluntary movements of human body are controlled by the brain through corticomuscular pathways. Although neuromuscular control mechanisms of voluntary movements have been studied extensively, many remain to be learned, especially neuromuscular adaptations related to clinical conditions such as neurological disorders and aging. This research aims at a better understanding of functional connection between the brain and muscle during voluntary motor activities in aging and the extent to which this connection can be changed by training the neuromuscular system. Three research projects were conducted to achieve this aim. The analyses in the first two projects are based on comparisons of non-invasive …

A Robotic Neuro-Musculoskeletal Simulator For Spine Research, Robb W. Colbrunn

ETD Archive

An influential conceptual framework advanced by Panjabi represents the living spine as a complex neuromusculoskeletal system whose biomechanical functioning is rather finely dependent upon the interactions among and between three principal subsystems: the passive musculoskeletal subsystem (osteoligamentous spine plus passive mechanical contributions of the muscles), the active musculoskeletal subsystem (muscles and tendons), and the neural and feedback subsystem (neural control centers and feedback elements such as mechanoreceptors located in the soft tissues) [1]. The interplay between subsystems readily encourages "thought experiments" of how pathologic changes in one subsystem might influence another--for example, prompting one to speculate how painful arthritic changes …

A Microfluidic Platform To Quantify Spatio-Temporal Diffusion Of Chemo-Gradients Within 3d Scaffolds: Applications In Axonal Biology, Michael A. Sawonik

ETD Archive

Axonal outgrowth and guidance play an important role in wiring the developing and regenerating nervous system. The critical role of biomolecular gradients in facilitating this axonal sensitivity and directionality along specific trajectories needs to be elucidated for designing effective therapeutic treatments under injury or disease conditions. However, previous in vitro approaches based on micropipette assay or gel-turning assay proved to be unsuitable or inefficient for precise generation and quantification of diffusive gradients. In this study, we utilized a microfluidic device to generate and quantify physiologically-relevant biomolecular gradients in a simple and reliable manner. Using a combination of computational and experimental …

In Vivo Immunotoxicological Evaluation Of Electrospun Polycaprolactone (Epcl) And Investigation Of Epcl As A Drug Delivery System For Immunomodulatory Compounds, Colleen Mcloughlin

Theses and Dissertations

Electrospun materials have potential use in many biomedical applications such as soft tissue replacements or as scaffolds to target drug delivery to local sites. Electrospinning is a polymer processing technique that can be used to create materials composed of fibers with diameters ranging from the micron to the nanoscale. We investigated the effects of microfibrous and nanofibrous electrospun polycaprolactone (EPCL) on innate, cell-mediated, and humoral components of the immune system. Results demonstrated that in both young (12 week) and old (6 month) mice, EPCL had no effect on various immune parameters. With its lack of immunotoxicity, EPCL presents an excellent …

In Vitro Biomechanical Testing And Computational: Modeling In Spine, Mageswaran Prasath

ETD Archive

Two separate in vitro biomechanical studies were conducted on human cadaveric spines (Lumbar) to evaluate the stability following the implantation of two different spinal fixation devices interspinous fixation device (ISD) and Hybrid dynamic stabilizers. ISD was evaluated as a stand-alone and in combination with unilateral pedicle rod system. The results were compared against the gold standard, spinal fusion (bilateral pedicle rod system). The second study involving the hybrid dynamic system, evaluated the effect on adjacent levels using a hybrid testing protocol. A robotic spine testing system was used to conduct the biomechanical tests. This system has the ability to apply …

Sar Map Of Gel Phantom In A 64mhz Mri Birdcage By Fiber-Optic Thermometry And Fdtd Simulation, Chirag Mukesh Patel

Master's Theses

As implantable medical devices are being used more often to treat medical problems for which pharmaceuticals don’t suffice, it is important to understand their interactions with commonly used medical modalities. The interactions between medical implants and Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines have proven to be a risk for patients with implants.

Implanted medical devices with elongated metallic components can create harmful levels of local heating in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) environment [1]. The heating of a biological medium under MRI is monitored via the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR). SAR, defined as power absorbed per unit mass (W/kg), can be calculated …

Implementation Of Risk Management In The Medical Device Industry, Rachelo Dumbrique

Master's Theses

This study looks at the implementation and effectiveness of risk management (RM) activities in the medical device industry. An online survey was distributed to medical device professionals who were asked to identify RM-related activities performed during the device life cycle. RM activities and techniques included Establishing Risk Acceptance Criteria, Hazard Identification, Human Factors/Usability, Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA), Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA), Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), Risk Benefit Analysis, and Risk Assessment of Customer Complaint. Devices were identified by type (therapeutic, surgical/clinical tools, …

Eeg During Pedaling: Brain Activity During A Locomotion-Like Task In Humans, Sanket G. Jain

Master's Theses (2009 -)

This study characterized the brain electrical activity during pedaling, a locomotor-like task, in humans. We postulated that phasic brain activity would be associated with active pedaling, consistent with a cortical role in locomotor tasks. 64 channels of electroencephalogram (EEG) and 10 channels of electromyogram (EMG) data were recorded from 10 neurologically-intact volunteers while they performed active and passive (no effort) pedaling on a custom-designed stationary bicycle. Ensemble average waveforms, two dimensional topographic maps and amplitude of the beta (13-35 Hz) frequency band were analyzed and compared between active and passive trials. The absolute amplitude (peak positive-peak negative) of the EEG …