Molecular, Cellular, and Tissue Engineering Commons^™

Synthesis And Characterization Of Glass-Ceramic Nanoparticles And Nanobubbles For Integration Into Bone Regenerative Biomaterials, Sun Latt

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Osteoporosis affects over 200 million individuals worldwide and is characterized by an imbalance between osteoclastic bone resorption and osteoblastic bone formation, leading to fragility fractures that significantly diminish quality of life. Current clinical bone cements, such as poly(methyl methacrylate), are limited by poor osseointegration, toxic monomers, and an inability to address the underlying pathophysiology of osteoporosis. This work presents the synthesis, characterization, and systematic in vitro evaluation of a sol-gel-derived, magnesium-incorporated glass-ceramic (GC) nanoparticle within the CaO-MgO-SiO₂ system for incorporation into a novel hydrogel bone cement and bioresorbable magnesium implants. XRD confirmed a biphasic amorphous-crystalline diopside composition, and TEM …

Fabricating Silver-Ceria Polymer Nanocomposite Scaffolds For Biomedical Therapeutic Applications, Shreya S. Pawar

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Improper healing of bone fractures and limited regeneration of bone following bone tumor resection remain a prevalent complication worldwide. Long-term effects of this include joint instability, limited movement, and arthritis. Bone infections (osteomyelitis), reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation via excessive inflammation, and underlying conditions such as osteoporosis can contribute to suboptimal bone tissue regeneration. ROS accumulation stimulates osteoblast apoptosis, while promoting osteoclast differentiation. These processes inhibit mineralization and osteogenesis. Conventional therapeutics involve the utilization of drugs and bone grafts. However, these approaches pose limitations and can result in subsequent complications. Microbial infections, ROS accumulation, and excessive inflammations are factors that …

Expression Optimization Of The Gst-Gfp Fusion Protein Through The Alteration Of Induction Conditions, Matthew J. Vaccaro

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research sought to determine which induction condition resulted in the greatest GST-GFP fusion protein expression. It will hopefully serve as a guide for future researchers trying to produce their own recombinant protein containing GST and GFP-tags. The CDNB Enzyme Assay was used to determine the quantity of GST-GFP fusion protein present and tested three variables: IPTG concentration, duration, and temperature of induction. The findings showed that IPTG concentration, temperature, and induction duration all had a significant impact on protein expression. Induction temperatures of 20 °C and 25 °C showed better protein expression at IPTG concentrations of 1.0 mM IPTG …

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell And Chondrocyte Mobility In 3d Bioprinted Hydrogel Constructs, Alesia Lokshina

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive cartilage degeneration disease with a complex pathologic mechanism. Although OA has devastating effects on patient quality of life and places a significant burden on the healthcare system, no disease-modifying drugs have been found, and surgical treatment options are often unsustainable. 3D bioprinting is a novel field within tissue engineering that focuses on developing biocompatible constructs that can be implanted to replace an organ or tissue. Such constructs have a great potential to become treatments for OA. Understanding cell mobility within hydrogels could play a vital role in advancing the development of biocompatible constructs. However, due …

Characterization Of A Malachite Green Dna Aptamer And Development Of Malachite Green Dna Aptamer Sensor, Martin O'Steen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Hydrogels have been extensively studied for use in applications such as tissue engineering, drug delivery systems, wound dressing, actuators, valves, and sensors in Micromechanical Systems (MEMS), among others. Thermo-responsive hydrogels in particular pose various advantages such as their capability to respond to an external stimulus and reverse the response when the stimulus is removed and the ability to imbibe a significant amount of solvent and increase their volume by over 1000%. Extensive research has been conducted to tune and improve hydrogel's rate and degree of swelling and mechanical properties. Previous work showed that when synthetic clay (Laponite) is cross-linked with …

Reporter Chondrocyte Optimization Of Bioinks For Zonal 3d Bioprinting Of Cartilage, Kari Martyniak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, often thought of as a disease of the elderly, but post traumatic OA predominantly impacts younger individuals. Articular cartilage is the tissue that coats the end of your bones in synovial joints. Since cartilage has limited healing capacity, defects, or injuries to it progressively erodes down to the subchondral bone. Unfortunately, current treatment options all have limitations, particularly for younger patients. Cartilage has a specific zonal architecture that is distinguished by the different cell morphologies and arrangements, biochemical composition, and mechanical properties. 3D bioprinting is a tissue engineering technique that involves …

The Role Of Pro-Longevity Micrornas In Aging, Sarah Noureddine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Cellular senescence, a hallmark of aging, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many major age-related disorders, including atherosclerosis, metabolic disease, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is characterized by increased cognitive impairment and treatment options available provide minimal disease attenuation. Additionally, diagnostic methods for AD are not conclusive with definitive diagnoses requiring postmortem brain evaluations. Therefore, miRNAs, a class of small, non-coding RNAs, have garnered attention for their ability to regulate a variety of mRNAs and their potential to serve as both therapeutic targets and biomarkers of disease. Several miRNAs have already been implicated with AD …

Multifactorial Media Analysis Via Design Of Experiment For Type Ii Collagen In Primary Rabbit Chondrocytes, Javier A. Velez Toro

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Osteoarthritis is a prevalent disease that affects the articular cartilage of the joints. Millions of people suffer worldwide and it is a major cause of disability in the United States. Current research for treatments of osteoarthritis are studying tissue-engineered cartilage in vitro generated by articular chondrocytes. A challenge faced in vitro for cartilage tissue engineering is the failure of chondrocytes to produce adequate expression of type II collagen. Surprisingly, the media commonly used in vitro lacks 14 vitamins and minerals present in the physiological environment of chondrocytes. Therefore, studying the interactions between micronutrients and chondrocytes may help in potentially increasing …

Using A Lubricin Reporter Cell To Test Current Vs. Optimized Media Compositions, Sean M. Kennedy

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Osteoarthritis is a joint disease characterized by the breakdown of articular cartilage. The field of tissue engineering is interested in developing methods to produce biological alternatives to current orthopedic procedures. Lubricin is a molecule which is important in the proper lubrication of articular cartilage. It is a challenge in the field of tissue engineering to produce cartilage with sufficient lubricin expression. Developing a reporter cell for lubricin allowed for a more efficient investigation of the conditions wh­­­ich may influence its expression. By comparing "optimized" and traditional media solutions, it was determined that the use of a previously reported type II …

Assessing 3d Printability Of Bioinks, Nicole Ramirez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The field of tissue engineering (TE) is continuously improving through the use of additive manufacturing techniques (AM) such as three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting. The 3D bioprinter has significantly gained attention in the TE field because it is more efficient than regenerative medicine and is readily available as opposed to organ transplants. Working like a conventional 3D printer, the 3D bioprinter is able to dispense material layer by layer from the bottom up with the printing head able to move in the X, Y, and Z direction. This movement allows for the fabrication of structures with complex geometries. In this study, the …

The Effects Of Emerging Technology On Healthcare And The Difficulties Of Integration, Skyler J. Pavlish-Carpenter

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Disruptive technology describes technology that is significantly more advanced than previous iterations, such as: 3D printing, genetic manipulation, stem cell research, innovative surgical procedures, and computer-based charting software. These technologies often require extensive overhauls to implement into older systems and must overcome many difficult financial and societal complications before they can be widely used. In a field like healthcare that makes frequent advancements, these difficulties can mean that the technology will not be utilized to its full potential or implemented at all.

Objective: To determine the inhibiting factors that prevent disruptive technology from being implemented in conventional healthcare.

Methods: …

Generation Of Recombinant Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Lines And Theirapplication For In Vivo Bioluminiscence Imaging In The Heart, Ramana Kammili

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in the United States, with 80 million people suffering from some form of heart disease each year. One major limitation is the inability of the heart to repair the damaged tissue. Stem cell therapy holds enormous promise to repair and regenerate the damaged myocardium, but there are many technical difficulties that must first be overcome. One such difficulty is the present lack of ability to track and assess transplanted stem cells over time in vivo. The central hypothesis of this thesis is that in vivo bioluminescence imaging is a safe and useful …