Bioimaging and Biomedical Optics Commons^™

Explorations Of Dna-Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Interactions To Develop Multiplexed Molecularly Specific Biosensors For Inflammation, Amelia K. Ryan

Dissertations and Theses

Inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-12 (IL-12) are central regulators of immune signaling and key biomarkers of disease, yet existing assays for their detection remain slow, invasive, and lack multiplexing ability. This dissertation advances the development of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) optical nanosensors capable of real-time, multiplexed, and molecularly specific cytokine detection through innovative use of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) interfaces.

First, an IL-6-specific DNA aptamer was employed as both a dispersing agent and recognition probe for SWCNT fluorescence sensing. Sequence modifications, including anchor domains, truncations, and thermally induced refolding, were systematically tested to optimize sensitivity and selectivity. The …

Advancing Electrical Stimulation: Full-Head Mri Segmentation For Abnormal Brain Anatomy With Tdcs, Andrew Birnbaum

Dissertations and Theses

Evaluating the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is essential for guiding its integration into therapeutic and performance-enhancement applications. In our laboratory, we investigate the efficacy of tDCS across multiple experimental models, including both animal and human studies. I have contributed significantly to the execution and analysis of these experiments, which include studies in rats and healthy human participants aimed at evaluating whether electrical stimulation of the motor cortex can enhance motor learning. These studies assess improvements in fine motor performance resulting from tDCS. In stroke patients, I contribute to our investigation of tDCS as a rehabilitative intervention, particularly …

Multimodal Imaging Of Protein-Based Biomaterials For Delivering Chemo-Agent Cargo For Glioblastoma Treatment In A Murine Model, Orin Mishkit

Dissertations and Theses

Protein-based self-assembling biomaterials, known as Thermo-Responsive Assembled Proteins (TRAP), present meaningful potential as drug delivery carriers. These materials enable the controlled, slow release of poorly soluble chemotherapeutic agents, such as doxorubicin (Dox), while potentially reducing systemic off-target effects. In collaboration with multiple NYU labs, this study evaluated the efficacy of two TRAP variants—TRAP and F-TRAP—as drug delivery carriers in a xenograft mouse model of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

The primary objective was to compare the effectiveness of TRAP-loaded Dox (TRAP-DOX) to free Dox in achieving tumor extravasation and accumulation, facilitating sustained drug release. We hypothesized that the leaky vasculature of GBM …

Generation And Characterization Of Human Blood-Brain Barrier Models For Investigating Neuropsychiatric Disorders And Tumor Metastasis, Yunfei Li

Dissertations and Theses

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is important in the normal function of the central nervous system (CNS). An altered BBB has been described in various neuropsychiatric disorders. The brain-specific microvascular endothelial cell (BMEC) is an essential structural component of the BBB. To test if integrity of the BBB formed by BMECs is compromised in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (also called DiGeorge syndrome), which is one of the validated genetic risk factors for schizophrenia, a 2D iBBB (induced BBB) on a Transwell filter was generated from human microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) derived from the induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) out of patients with …

Optimizing Transcranial Focused Ultrasound: Calibration, Neuro Navigation, And Bold Fmri Evidence Of Neuromodulation, Amilcar J. Malave

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis presents the development, calibration, and initial implementation of transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) for neuromodulation in a human study. The primary objectives were to design a system capable of delivering precise and safe ultrasound stimulation to targeted brain regions and to conduct preliminary trials to assess its effects on brain activity. A custom calibration device was developed to ensure accurate measurement of acoustic pressure, addressing challenges such as voltage alterations caused by changes in system impedance. Additionally, a neuro-navigation tool was created to facilitate precise targeting of the right subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (right sgACC), enabling accurate placement of …

Measurement Of Fluid Movement Throughout The Brain Via Multiple Magnetic Resonance Imaging Techniques During High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, Jack W. Beaty Mr

Dissertations and Theses

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive method of neuromodulation with applications in neuroscience, clinical care, and biomedical engineering. tDCS has been well established as a safe method of applying low amplitude current between two or more electrodes to alter excitation thresholds and neuroplasticity. Recently, in-vitro and clinical studies have suggested that DC stimulation can induce a transient, polarity-specific, effect of increased water exchange across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The electroosmotic effect, the proposed phenomenon driving water exchange, is a biophysical response of charged ions moving across an oppositely-charged surface, i.e., the tight junction, when subjected to an electric …

Modulation Of Brain Tissue Transport And Endothelial Glycocalyx And Tight Junctions Of The Blood-Brain Barrier By Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, Yifan Xia

Dissertations and Theses

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive approach to treat a broad range of brain disorders and to enhance memory and cognition in healthy individuals. In addition to directly acting on neurons by modulating the membrane potential, inducing neuronal polarization and changing cortical excitability in the brain to achieve its therapeutic effects, prior studies found that tDCS can transiently enhance the permeability (P) of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the interface between blood circulation and brain tissue. Brain extracellular space (ECS) is a narrow microenvironment which surrounds every cell in the central nervous system (CNS). ECS occupies ~20% of brain …

Development Of Light Actuated Chemical Delivery Platform On A 2-D Array Of Micropore Structure, Hojjat Rostami Azmand, Hojjat Rostami Azmand

Dissertations and Theses

Localized chemical delivery plays an essential role in the fundamental information transfers within biological systems. Thus, the ability to mimic the natural chemical signal modulation would provide significant contributions to understand the functional signaling pathway of biological cells and develop new prosthetic devices for neurological disorders. In this paper, we demonstrate a light-controlled hydrogel platform that can be used for localized chemical delivery in a high spatial resolution. By utilizing the photothermal behavior of graphene-hydrogel composites confined within micron-sized fluidic channels, patterned light illumination creates the parallel and independent actuation of chemical release in a group of fluidic ports. The …

When The Brain Plays A Game: Neural Responses To Visual Dynamics During Naturalistic Visual Tasks, Jason Ki

Dissertations and Theses

Many day-to-day tasks involve processing of complex visual information in a continuous stream. While much of our knowledge on visual processing has been established from reductionist approaches in lab-controlled settings, very little is known about the processing of complex dynamic stimuli experienced in everyday scenarios. Traditional investigations employ event-related paradigms that involve presentation of simple stimuli at select locations in visual space and discrete moments in time. In contrast, visual stimuli in real-life are highly dynamic, spatially-heterogeneous, and semantically rich. Moreover, traditional experiments impose unnatural task constraints (e.g., inhibited saccades), thus, it is unclear whether theories developed under the reductionist …

Effect Of Hypoxia On Spontaneous Neural Activity In The Cortex Of Neonate Mouse Pups, Krithikka Ravi Ms

Dissertations and Theses

Hypoxia caused by inadequate oxygenation has profound effects on the normal functioning of the brain in mammals. Acute or chronic hypoxic insults occur in the brain depending on the duration of hypoxic exposure. Hypoxia is known to occur in the human womb and exerts adverse effects on the developing fetus. Most of the ongoing research on hypoxia is performed on rodent brain slice taken from various brain regions using intracellular recording. Extensive work has been carried out to understand the effects of chronic hypoxia on the developing nervous system, specifically during intrauterine development. However, effects of acute hypoxia occurring perinatally, …

Automatic Optimum Atlas Selection For Multi-Atlas Image Segmentation Using Joint Label Fusion, Kofi Agyeman

Dissertations and Theses

Multi-atlas image segmentation using label fusion is one of the most accurate state of the art image segmentation techniques available for biomedical imaging applications. Motivated to achieve higher image segmentation accuracy, reduce computational costs and a continuously increasing atlas data size, a robust framework for optimum selection of atlases for label fusion is vital. Although believed not to be critical for weighted label fusion techniques by some works (Sabuncu, M. R. et al., 2010, [1]), others have shown that appropriate atlas selection has several merits and can improve multi-atlas image segmentation accuracy (Aljabar et al., 2009, [2], Van de Velde …