Other Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Fluorescence-Based Quantification Of Hepatic Ldl Uptake And Donor Hepatocyte Engraftment Using Atto 700–Labeled Ldl, Victor Agustin Cortes Flores

All Theses

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited disorder characterized by elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) that increases the risk of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In severe FH, including low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), hepatic LDL clearance is profoundly impaired and many lipid lowering treatment strategies have limited effectiveness. Current advances in ex vivo CRISPR–Cas9 hepatocyte gene editing in vivo and ex vivo approaches for treatment of FH are under development.

However, a central barrier to translation is the ability to quantitatively measure the percentage of healthy gen edited hepatocytes in the liver while simultaneously assessing functional hepatic LDL handling. This thesis establishes …

Polyphenols For The Mitigation Of Vascular Calcification; In Vitro And In Vivo Studies, Abdullah Altuhami

All Theses

Globally, cardiovascular diseases, in most cases associated with calcification, are the main cause of death. However, currently, the only effective cure is to undergo surgery to augment or receive a healthy donor heart, which could be very difficult due to the long waiting list and the associated risks. The possibility of body rejection of the foreign organs is attributed to immunoreaction or the risk of infection, since the donor must be on immunosuppressant drugs that lower the body's immunity and facilitate the body's acceptance of the new organ as one of its own. Taking that into consideration, using tissue-engineered vascular …

Impact Of Cysteine And Tyrosine Dipeptides On Cho Cell Performance In A Perfusion Mimic, Corrin L. Pruitt

All Theses

Perfusion cell cultures typically achieve higher cell densities and generate higher volumetric productivities than fed-batch cultures due to continuous nutrient supply and spent media removal. Despite these advantages, perfusion cell cultures remain underutilized for licensed product manufacturing, primarily due to the lack of small-scale perfusion models for high-throughput process development and the complexities involved in media formulation capable of supporting high cell densities during long-term continuous operation. To avoid nutrient limitation at high cell densities, current perfusion processes rely on using higher perfusion rates, which results in significant media wastage and downstream product dilution. Therefore, there has been an effort …

A Benchtop Analysis Of Pressure Offloading Associated With Custom Socket Inlays In Transtibial Prostheses, Sarah G. Hill

All Theses

Approximately 78% of people with lower limb amputations are dissatisfied with the comfort of their prostheses (Quintero-Quiroz & Perez 2019). In the case of lower limb amputations, the residual limb tissue bears far more weight than it was before the amputation. The pressure put on the soft tissue of the residual limb causes discomfort (Brown et al. 2021). In previous work, custom inlays were created, which fit inside the prosthesis and offload pressure, with the goal of helping to increase the comfort and satisfaction of the prosthesis user (Brown et al. 2021). In this project, a benchtop prosthetic socket loading …

The Effects Of Compression Wrapping Techniques And Primary Wound Dressings On Leg Skin Interface Pressure, James Cox

All Theses

Peripheral edema affects approximately 20% of people in the US over the age of 50 and is frequently encountered among individuals with conditions such as heart disease, prolonged immobility, and venous insufficiency.¹ Compression is an established therapeutic tool utilized for the management of several chronic edema presentations including lymphedema and venous leg ulcers.^2,3 Therapeutic efficacy of compressive applications can be evaluated by defining interface pressure (IP) and IP distributions associated with specific textile combinations.² During compressive applications where an open wound is present, primary wound dressings should be used in combination with compressive wraps. Primary wound dressings …

Nonlinear Optical Microscopy Assessment Of Tissue Structure And Chondrocyte Viability Of Articular Cartilage, Michael Le

All Theses

Articular cartilage functions to protect the ends of bones by providing a surface that can withstand compressive forces and minimize friction during movement. Collagen fibers form the organizational backbone of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in cartilage. Proteoglycans within the ECM function to retain water and provide the tissue with the swelling pressure needed to withstand compressional forces. Chondrocytes, the only type of cell found in articular cartilage, produces these collagen fibers and proteoglycans to maintain the tissue structure and function. Significant injuries to articular cartilage can damage the chondrocytes and disrupt their ability to maintain homeostasis in the tissue. Therefore, …

Quantifying Shear Stresses In Tissue Engineered Aortic Heart Valves, Raj Nitin Dave

All Theses

Present heart valve prosthesis have limitations such as capability to grow, repair and remodel post implantation. Tissue engineering offers to be a promising alternative to overcome these limitations. Maturation of seeded human cells on the valve subjected to favorable growth conditions in the bioreactor is critical to the success of tissue engineered heart valves. Mechanical stress and strain which results from the pressure and flow conditions in the bioreactor plays a critical role on the developing valve tissue and are currently unknown. The goal of this research is to relate the magnitude of wall shear stress (WSS) within the heart …