Biomedical Devices and Instrumentation Commons^™

Potassium And Sodium Sensing Isfet Device And Array, Liam Stephen Hayes

Electrical Engineering

The use of Ion-Sensitive Field Effect Transistors (ISFETs) as a means of testing a person’s potassium concentration in real-time has broad applications in the consumer space. An avid runner could use such a device to keep track of their hydration and salt levels. A hospital could use it for patients who require around-the-clock remote monitoring, and a variation of ISFETs are currently being used as continuous glucose monitors for diabetes patients. While ISFETs are not a new development in the field of microelectronics, their use as wearable devices has recently become relevant. The goal of this project is primarily to …

Interactive Software-Based Modeling For Gait Analysis Of Musculoskeletal Structures, Nada Masood Mirza, Adnan Ali, Mohamad Khairi Ishak

Makara Journal of Technology

Software for interactive musculoskeletal modeling applies diverse scientific and technological concepts to stimulate the movement of musculoskeletal figures. Several tools are available for biomechanical analysis in studying motion and capturing the musculoskeletal representation data to facilitate further evaluation for muscle activation. Musculoskeletal software, such as the OpenSim model, animates, and measures in 3D the structural movement of bones, muscles, joints, ligaments, and such structures in the human body. Users apply graphical interfaces to manipulate the movement science for fast and accurate analysis. OpenSim simulation software features a user-friendly interface to allow the proper clinical application in biomechanics and rehabilitation research. …

Smart Spine Tape: Active Wearable Posture Monitoring For Prevention Of Low Back Pain And Injury, Samuel J. Borda

Master's Theses

Back pain and injury are a global health issue and are a leading cause of work and activity absence. Prevention would not only save those affected from the burden of pain and discomfort, but would also save people from loss of over 290 million workdays annually and save the healthcare system billions of dollars in expenses per year. Successful research and development of a wearable technology capable of comprehensively monitoring spinal postures that are leading causes of back pain and injury can result in prevention of mild to severe back pain and injury for high-risk people. To accomplish this, the …

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 …

Development Of A Decellularized Hydrogel Composite And Its Application In A Novel Model Of Disc-Associated Low Back Pain In Female Sprague Dawley Rats, David Lillyman

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Chronic low back pain is a global socioeconomic crisis compounded by an absence of reliable, curative treatments. The predominant pathology associated with chronic low back pain is degeneration of intervertebral discs in the lumbar spine. During degeneration, nerves can sprout into the intervertebral disc tissue and be chronically subjected to inflammatory and mechanical stimuli, resulting in pain. Pain arising from the intervertebral disc, or disc-associated pain, is a complex, multi-faceted disorder which necessitates valid animal models to screen therapeutics and study pathomechanisms of pain.

While many research teams have created animal models of disc degeneration, the translation of these platforms …

Development Of A Programmable, Open-Source, And Cost-Effective Fluidic System For Cell Culture Applications, Charles Montoya

Biomedical Engineering ETDs

Open-source laboratory equipment has become an increasingly popular alternative to commercially available options due to its simple implementation, capability of user-customized modifications, and cost-effectiveness. Presented here is the development of a programmable and open-source fluidic system comprised of three custom-built syringe pumps for cell culture applications. The fluidic system was directly integrated with a multiwell plate on an environmentally controlled microscope platform for live-cell imaging and time-lapse analyses of cellular responses as culture conditions are adjusted using the programmable fluidic system. Proof-of-concept of this system is obtained by controlling autophagic activity in A549 cells by adjustment of nutrient supply. The …

Pulsatility Is A Predictive Marker Of Improved Cardiac Function In Patients With Liquid Matrix-Treated Left Ventricular Assist Devices, Philemon Mikail, Rinku Skaria, Marvin Slepian, Janny Garcia, Richard Smith, Zain Khalpey

The VAD Journal

Objective: Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are utilized as a bridge to transplant or as destination therapy for patients with end-stage heart failure. Although cardiac offloading from these devices rarely leads to complete remodeling and functional recovery, the use of mesenchymal cells to modulate heart failure has been explored in recent years due to its intrinsic regenerative properties. Current methods of evaluating cardiac function have too much variability, difficulty of access, or require too frequent follow up to create universal weaning protocols. We hypothesized that the administration of amniotic allograft liquid matrix (LM) containing amnion-derived mesenchymal stem cells (aMSCs) in …

Review Of Emerging Approaches Utilizing Alternative Physiological Human Body Fluids In Non- Or Minimally Invasive Glucose Monitoring, Sunghoon Jang, Yu Wang, Andre Jang

Publications and Research

Diabetes can cause various acute as well as long-term complications in patients, with blood sugar levels of over 600 mg/dL, such as blindness, kidney disease, nervous & circulatory system disease, limb amputations, stroke, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Frequent and regular blood glucose monitoring by diabetics and physicians is an essential step in the management of diabetes. Over the last five decades, there have been numerous attempts to develop viable painless non- or minimally invasive blood glucose monitoring techniques to replace all existing invasive methods, such as home blood glucose monitoring, which usually require drawing a blood sample by piercing the …

Biofeedback Technologies As Extended Cognition: A Philosophical Analysis, Haesoo Park

Student Publications

Every year technologies become more sophisticated and more accessible. Some have become a seamless extension of mind, so much so that they are better understood no longer as tools, but as integral parts of how our mind works. Biofeedback devices are examples of such technologies that are increasingly used in institutional contexts and for personal use. They offer a presumed scientific and objective basis for life decisions and behavioral health interventions, as well as a promise of new forms of self-knowledge. Yet in the very design of biofeedback technologies are cultural and institutional values that are rarely critically appraised. This …

Rod Bend Approximator For Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery, Amanda Hansell, Anise Ghandchi, Shervin Moghimi

Biomedical Engineering

This Final Report will go over the project deliverables and future steps in the making of a rod bending approximator tool by the Cal Poly Senior Design team for the client SeaSpine. The latest designs and research done regarding minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is covered including the impediments with the current methods. SeaSpine presented the need to our team for an approximating tool within the MIS procedure. Our team began project planning through task generation and schedule development. Once the product definition was fully understood, competition was evaluated and engineering specifications were created for the project. A conceptual design was …

Wire Cutting Saw For Spinal Fusion Surgery, Connor Kilzer Kilzer, Kayla Hong, Kyle Himmelein

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of this project was to design and prototype a spinal facetectomy tool which will minimize the risk of spinal nerve damage and standardize this procedure for all surgeons. This Final Report for Alphatec describes the scope of the project, the process to get to the final prototype of the device, along with a project timeline for the team. A background of current devices and their issues is included to illustrate the need for a new spinal facetectomy device. Within the scope of the project includes a list of customer requirements for the device and the process of translating …

Eagle Medical Tray Denesting & Debris Removal Process, Nicholas Allen Ungefug, Noah Chavez, Susana Shu-Lin Okhuysen, Michael Augustine Pennington

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Eagle Medical Incorporated is a contract medical device packaging and sterilization company. The company purchases thermoformed medical packaging trays, which maintain the sterility of medical devices, from various manufacturers. To ensure packaging quality and to prevent cleanroom contamination, Eagle Medical inspects and sterilizes each blister tray that they order. This process is an essential non-value-added activity that creates a bottleneck. Cleanroom employees must stop packaging medical devices and attend to the processing of blister trays and packaging solutions. The blister trays arrive at Eagle’s facility in nested stacks. Vibration and movement during shipping further compresses the stacks, which makes separation …

Porcine Liver Injury Model To Assess Tantalum-Containing Bioactive Glass Powders For Hemostasis, Malvika Nagrath, Danielle Bince, Corwyn Rowsell, Deanna Polintan, Joao Rezende-Neto, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study evaluates compositions of tantalum-containing mesoporous bioactive glass (Ta-MBG) powders using a porcine fatal liver injury model. The powders based on (80-x)SiO₂-15CaO-5P₂O₅-xTa₂O₅ compositions with x = 0 (0Ta/Ta-free), 1 (1Ta), and 5 (5Ta) mol% were made using a sol–gel process. A class IV hemorrhage condition was simulated on the animals; hemodynamic data and biochemical analysis confirmed the life-threatening condition. Ta-MBGs were able to stop the bleeding within 10 min of their application while the bleeds in the absence of any intervention or in the presence of a commercial agent, AristaTM …

Air Wear, Ani M. Svadjian, Ada A. Tadeo, Deepthi Ravuru

General Engineering

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals have experienced an overwhelming increase in patients needing respiratory assistance. Our client identified the need for a sustainable, affordable, and portable outpatient device that will provide supplemental oxygen and assisted breathing to speed up the patient recovery process. Our team accomplished to design a device that contains a more sustainable oxygen supply method, has a longer functional duration, is safer and ergonomic, as well as compact.

A Microfluidic Assay For Single Cell Bacterial Adhesion Studies Under Shear Stress, Amanda Trusiak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study of bacterial adhesion to host cells is important in understanding bacterial pathogenesis and developing new therapeutic approaches. Here, we studied bacterial adhesion under shear stress using a novel microfluidic method. Specifically, the adhesion of a uropathogenic E. coli strain (FimHOn, ATCC 700928/CFT073) to mannose-modified substrates was studied under flow conditions. The FimHOn E. coli strain expresses FimH which is a mannose-specific adhesin found on the fimbriae that binds to glycoproteins on the epithelium. We developed a microfluidic method that mimics bacterial adhesion to urothelial cells. First, the microfluidic channels were modified by sequentially adsorbing BSA-mannose and BSA onto …

Mobile, Biosensor Technology For Measuring Joint-Level Human Motion, Matthew Mcmanigal

Theses & Dissertations

The measurement of three-dimensional knee joint angles can predict both anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and the risk of developing early knee osteoarthritis. However, knee joint angle assessment is currently limited, due to the lack of validated wearable and untethered technologies that can be deployed in natural environments and rural or community settings. To address this challenge, this thesis project aimed to 1) develop a fully untethered, wearable electronic device to measure knee joint angles during natural human movement and 2) test the accuracy of the device to collect sagittal knee joint angles during dynamic activities of human movement. For …

Increasing Accessibility To Monitoring Ammonia Levels In The Body Through Development Of A Novel Point-Of-Care Breath Ammonia Diagnostic Device, Emily C. Wright, Ashwin M. Sivalingam

Honors Theses

Hyperammonemia is a life-threatening metabolic condition that is characterized by elevated levels of ammonia concentrations in the blood. Resulting from serious conditions such as chronic kidney disease or liver failure, the limited functions of the liver and kidney lead to an increase in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) within the body. Currently, there are a wide variety of treatments for this condition, ranging from various medications to surgical procedures such as liver transplants. However, there is a lack of variety in diagnostic testing methods to determine a patient’s ammonia levels. In most cases, patients will need to schedule a doctor’s appointment …

Novel Keyed Fusion Method To Improve Plate Alignment In Anterior Cervical Discectomy And Fusion Procedures, Henry Seiler

Honors Theses

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a form of neck surgery that is performed to remove a damaged disc in the spine. Without intervention damaged discs in the spine cause a buildup of spinal cord or nerve root pressure which can lead to several unpleasant side effects. The current methods and devices through which this surgery is carried out can be potentially problematic for both the surgeon and the patient. Oftentimes surgeons have difficulty aligning the cervical plate typically used in ACDF surgeries. In many cases, these problems are unavoidable. It is for this reason that a group of …

Surface Laser Texturing Of Cocrmo Alloys, Gabriel Dharwadker

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Artificial orthopedic implants such as hip joints suffer from excessive wear due to excess friction between the polyethylene and cobalt-chromium-molybdenum surfaces of the device. This increase in friction causes a fraction of them to give out within ten years. Therefore, to minimize the probability of this happening, recent research has been conducted regarding laser surface texturing of the cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy components of artificial joints. These surface textures serve to mimic the native lubrication mechanisms of cartilage in natural joints, which, in a natural joint, lowers the friction. However, the production of these laser surface textures is still a field of …

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 …

Review Of Biomechanical Studies And Finite Element Modeling Of Sternal Closure Using Bio-Active Adhesives, Amatulraheem Al-Abassi, Marcello Papini, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The most common complication of median sternotomy surgery is sternum re-separation after sternal fixation, which leads to high rates of morbidity and mortality. The adhered sternal fixation technique comprises the wiring fixation technique and the use of bio-adhesives. Adhered sternal fixation techniques have not been extensively studied using finite element analysis, so mechanical testing studies and finite element analysis of sternal fixation will be presented in this review to find the optimum techniques for simulating sternal fixation with adhesives. The optimal wiring technique should enhance bone stability and limit sternal displacement. Bio-adhesives have been proposed to support sternal fixation, as …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Pulse Rate Variability Analysis During Hemorrhage In An Experimental Porcine Model, Gabbie Bonvillain, Lauren Crimmins, Md Abul Hayat, Adria Abella Villafranca, Sam Stephens, Hanna K. Jensen, Joseph A. Sanford, Jingxian Wu, Kevin W. Sexton, Morten Jensen

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

During the acute phase of hemorrhage, heart rate and peripheral resistance increases to maintain proper oxygen delivery to vital organs. This response is mediated by the autonomic nervous system. Heart rate variability (HRV) has become a widely utilized measure to determine the autonomic nervous system control over the heart. Recently, pulse rate variability (PRV) has been suggested to serve as a surrogate for HRV. This study evaluates the ability of PRV obtained from peripheral arterial pressure waveforms as a method for detecting hemorrhage. Time domain and frequency domain metrics were evaluated for 5-minute and 15-minute arterial pressure waveform signals prior …

Localized Intra-Arterial Drug Delivery Device For Stroke Treatment, Benjamin Yip

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Strokes are one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability in the United States, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than 795,000 people experience a stroke every year. Around 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes making it the most common form of stroke. While ischemic strokes are treatable, current devices and methods still result in high mortality rates and high risks of hemorrhaging after treatment. The aim of this study is to design and test a prototype of a novel device for the localized delivery of thrombolytics to treat ischemic strokes. The …

Porous Silicon Photonics For Label-Free Interferometric Biosensing And Flat Optics, Tahmid Hassan Talukdar

All Dissertations

This dissertation uses porous silicon as a material platform to explore novel optical effects in three domains: (i) It studies dispersion engineering in integrated waveguides to achieve high performance group index sensing. With proper design parameters, the sensor waveguides can theoretically achieve 6 times larger group index shift compared to the actual bulk effective refractive index shift. We demonstrate the guided mode confinement factor to be a key parameter in design and implementation of these waveguides. (ii) It explores multicolor laser illumination to experimentally demonstrate perceptually enhanced colorimetric sensing, overcoming the limitations faced by many contemporary colorimetric sensors. Our technique …

Development Of A Long-Read Sequencing Protocol To Assess The Precision And Efficacy Of Gene Editing For Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Landon Andrew Burcham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work establishes a method for assessing on-target precision due to CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, especially within the context of exon skipping therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The proposed method utilizes an Oxford nanopore long-read sequencing approach to sequence amplified regions of DNA that have been edited using CRISPR-Cas9. NIH3T3 and C2C12 cell lines were treated with a dual-guide CRISPR-Cas9 system, that targets and deletes exon 23 from the DMD gene in mouse samples. Deletion PCR revealed deletion of exon 23 in both DNA and cDNA samples. Additionally, sequencing using Oxford Nanopore revealed targeted exon 23 deletion as the most prevalent …

Design Of A Four Channel Pulsatile Perfusion Bioreactor For Ex-Vivo Study Of Vascular Grafts, Thomas M. Fair

All Theses

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the United States. Atherosclerosis in peripheral arteries is a major contributing factor. Autologous saphenous vein grafts are the most common bypass grafts for treating peripheral artery diseases. A quarter of these grafts fail within a year, and around half have failed within 10 years of the initial surgery. Graft failure is attributed to the development of intimal hyperplasia indicated by the migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and the deposition of extracellular proteins.

Increases in flow, pressure, the pulse frequency, and the differential of pressure that model an …