Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering Commons^™

Determining The Effects Of Glycocalyx Modifications On The Electrophysical Properties Of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Rominna E. Valentine Ico

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have gained popularity in clinical trials due to their multipotent differentiation characteristics, ability to secrete bioactive molecules, migrate into diseased or damaged tissues, and their immunosuppressive properties. HMSC cultures are heterogeneous, containing stem cells, partially differentiated progenitor cells, and fully differentiated cells. One of the major challenges with hMSCs therapeutic potential is the inability to select specific cell subpopulations due to an insufficient number of biomarkers. Often the biomarkers used, like those for fluorescence-activated cell sorting, are not sufficient to define hMSCs because they overlap with other cell types. Consequently, there is a need to …

Polymeric Biomaterials Approaches For Engineering The In Vitro Cellular Microenvironment For Mscs, Mahsa Letter-Mahsa Haseli

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cell therapy is a technology that relies on replacing diseased or dysfunctional cells with healthy functioning ones. One of the cells used for such advanced therapies are stem cells, owing to their ability to differentiate into specific cells required for repairing damaged or defective tissues or cells. The majority of cell-based products are intended to transiently persist in the patient, secreting factors which then allow the patient’s body to heal; in these products, the cells are subsequently eliminated from the body. Furthermore, unique manufacturing platforms, in addition to novel commercialization strategies, will be required to create a successful, sustainable cell …

Investigation Of Heavy Metal Removal From Synthetic Desalter Effluent Using A Two-Step Approach By Micellar-Enhanced Ultrafiltration And Microbial Fuel Cell, Carlos Munoz-Cupa

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Heavy metals in wastewater streams negatively affect the environment due to their high toxicity. Non-conventional heavy metal removal methods show higher efficiencies for the remediation of these pollutants. In this investigation, a two-step approach using micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF) and microbial fuel cell (MFC) was investigated to remove copper, manganese, and zinc from a synthetic salt wastewater containing magnesium, sodium, and phenol. This synthetic solution was used to simulate refinery wastewater streams such as desalter effluent. The study was carried out in three phases. In the first phase, a flat plate polyether sulfone membrane was investigated for the MEUF process with …

Isolation And Production Of Tandem Collagen Binding Domain From Clostridial Collagenase Colg And Developments In C1q Reagent Production For Future Molecule Characterization Work, Stephanie Beitle

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis covers a two part project: the production methods to create a double collagen binding domain molecule with a growth factor for wound healing applications and the development of a new in-house production method for isolating C1q from bovine blood. The wound healing molecule was created using transformation, sonication, and purification before being tested via electrophoresis SDS page and Western blots to confirm the molecule’s presence. The C1q in-house production method utilizes an ultrafiltration flow cell rather than dialysis at a critical point in the process, allowing for researchers to not only be able to use a single small …

Tuning Electrochemical Interactions And Polymer Electrolyte Interfaces For Enhanced Organic Acid Separations Using Electrodeionization, Matthew Leo Jordan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Chemical separations are critical processes for chemical and industrial plants to purify and isolate products however current separation technologies, such as distillation, rely on energy intensive processes. Electrochemical separation processes, such as electrodialysis and electrodeionization, are an energy efficient alternative that are emerging as an alternative for thermal-based separations. Organic acids are weakly ionizable species and susceptible for purification from process streams using electrochemical processes. Recently the fermentation route has garnered greater attention as a means for producing value-added chemicals, such as organic acids, from a renewable feedstock and aiding the circular economy. Some of the challenges electrodialysis faces for …

Investigation Of Membrane Based Processes For Biomedical Applications, Efecan Pakkaner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As substantial developments were achieved in nanotechnology and polymer engineering, especially in the last few decades, the use of membranes and membrane-based procedures was found to be expanding into more and more research and development areas; including biological engineering, life sciences and biomedical engineering. Not only have they been the main focus of meaningful research, but they have also been the main pieces of the solutions to very thorny problems encountered within a wide range of applications from microfluidics to water treatment, thanks to their versatility, cost-effectiveness and biocompatibility, when compared to conventional separation techniques. To celebrate and embrace these …

Interactions Of Lignin Dimers With Engineered Surfaces And Model Cell Membranes For Design Of Lignin-Based Materials, Mahsa Moradipour

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Capitalizing on byproducts of industrial and agricultural economies is among the utmost goals of sustainability. Of particular interest for commercial upgrading is lignin, a phenolic biopolymer found in the cell walls of plants which is the second most abundant biopolymer on Earth after cellulose. Due to its heterogeneous structure, deconstructing lignin to selected small molecules for use as chemicals or advanced materials has been elusive. This work capitalizes on a “bottom up” approach to the synthesis of lignin oligomers of known bond chemistry to better understand their interfacial interactions.

The potential pharmacological mechanism of lignin deconstruction components and their toxicological …

Understanding Absorption, Supersaturation, And Drug Activity In Solution: Working Towards Developing A More Biorelevant Media, Freddy Arce

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

With the looming dominance of poorly water-soluble chemical entities within the pharmaceutical pipeline, the pharmaceutical industry has leaned on the use of supersaturating drug delivery systems (SDDSs) to achieve efficacious concentrations within the gastrointestinal fluids. SDDSs aim to achieve concentrations in solutions greater than the solubility of the lowest energy crystalline form. However, the generation of supersaturated solutions of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) creates a strong crystallization potential, which is undesirable.

In product development, supersaturating products often fail in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials due to poor oral bioavailability and a lack of in vivo efficacy. Pre-clinical testing …

Peptoid And Antibody-Based Gfp Sensors, Solomon Isu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this work, we have made and characterized a pair of immunobiosensors for detecting the green fluorescent protein (GFP) in an aqueous matrix. An anti-GFP antibody-based biosensor was assembled to detect GFP, while a novel peptoid (N-substituted oligomers of glycine designated as IOS-1) biosensor was also assembled for GFP detection. A quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) gold sensor was used as the supporting substrate for self-assembly of the immunobiosensors. Gravimetric measurements of the QCM gold sensor during immunobiosensor construction and operation were available in real-time using a QCM instrument. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Fluorescence microscopy were used …

Biomethane Production From Distillery Wastewater, Zachary Christman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Distillery wastewater treatment is a great ecological problem, for example, India produces 2.7 billion liters of alcohol that results in 40 billion liters of wastewater. However, this material can be seen as a resource since 11 million cubic meters of biogas at 60% methane could be produced in addition to cleaning the water. The distillery has two options of what to do with the biogas. The first is to use the biogas to fuel the distillery making the production plant more energy efficient and removing some of the need to buy natural gas. The other is to upgrade the biogas …

Multivariate Analysis For The Quantification Of Transdermal Volatile Organic Compounds In Humans By Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell System, Ahmed Hasnain Jalal

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this research, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) sensor was investigated for specific detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for point-of-care (POC) diagnosis of the physiological conditions of humans. A PEMFC is an electrochemical transducer that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. A Redox reaction takes place at its electrodes whereas the volatile biomolecules (e.g. ethanol) are oxidized at the anode and ambient oxygen is reduced at the cathode. The compounds which were the focus of this investigation were ethanol (C₂H₅OH) and isoflurane (C₃H₂ClF₅O), but theoretically, the sensor …

Wafer Enhanced Electrodeionization For Conversion Of Co2 Into Bicarbonate Feed For Algae Cultured Photobioreactors, Kayvan Afrasiabi

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The world has acknowledged climate change as a global crisis that demands considerable attention, with one of the largest culprit being carbon emissions from industrial processing and power generation. While reduction in carbon emissions is the principal action towards mitigating the effects of climate change, scientists and engineers have given increased attention to alternative sources of energy as well as methods of carbon sequestration to coax traditional manufactory and industry into environmentally friendly and sustainable practices. One technology of this nature is the use of wafer-enhanced electrodeionization (WE-EDI) membranes to convert gaseous carbon dioxide (CO₂) from industrial flue …

Removal Of Carbamazepine From Drinking Water, Paola Marrero-Rivera, Adam Johnson, Jordan Alex Gadberry, Juan Rodriguez, Thomas Krumpolc, Zach Wiese

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Due to the increasing prevalence of prescription medication over the past few decades, pharmaceuticals have accumulated in various water sources. This has become a public health concern because many pharmaceuticals have limited research on the effects of chronic low-level exposure.One pharmaceutical of interest that has been detected in water sources is carbamazepine. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a common pharmaceutical prescribed for the treatment of seizure disorders, neuropathic pain, and various psychological disorders. It’s mechanism of action is “sodium channel blocking,” which is the impairment of conduction of sodium ions in sodium channels. This, in effect, reduces nervous-system conductivity in key areas …

Peptoid-Modified Bicelles As Surrogate Cell Membranes For Membrane Protein Sensors And Analytics, Helya Najafi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Membrane-affiliated interactions are significant in understanding cell function, detecting biomarkers to diagnose disease, and in testing the efficiency of new therapeutic targets. Model membrane systems have been developed to study membrane proteins, allowing for stable protein structure and maintaining native activity. Bicelles, disc-shaped lipid bilayers created by combining long- and short-chain phospholipids, are the model membrane system of focus in this study. Bicelles are accessible from both sides and have a wide size range, which make them attractive for studying membrane proteins without affecting function. In this work, bicelles were functionalized with two peptoids to alter the edge and face …

Simulating Microbial Electrolysis For Renewable Hydrogen Production Integrated With Separation In Biorefinery, Christian James Wilson

Masters Theses

Biomass conversion to hydrocarbon fuels requires significant amounts of hydrogen. Fossil resources typically supply hydrogen via steam reforming. A new technology called microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) has emerged which can generate hydrogen from organic sources and biomass. The thermochemical route to fuels via pyrolysis generates bio-oil aqueous phase (BOAP) which can be used to make hydrogen. A process engineering and economic analysis of this technology was conducted for application in biorefineries of the future. Steam methane reforming, bio-oil separation and microbial electrolysis unit operations were simulated in Aspen Plus to derive the mass and energy balance for conversion of biomass. …

Morphological And Photoelectrochemical Characterization Of Membrane Reconstituted Photosystem I (Psi), Seyedeh Hanieh Niroomand

Doctoral Dissertations

The robust structural and photoactive electrochemical properties of Photosystem I (PSI), a transmembrane photosynthetic protein complex, make it an ideal candidate for incorporation into solid state bioelectronic or hybrid photovoltaic devices. However, the first step towards the successful fabrication of such devices requires systematic assembly of oriented and functional PSI onto desired bio-abio interfaces via suitable protein scaffoldings. Hence, this dissertation focuses on utilizing the cyanobacterial PSI for integration into organic/inorganic interfaces that mediate photo-electrochemical energy conversions for electricity and/or solar fuel production. To this end, in this study the effect of systematic incorporation of PSI complexes into synthetic membrane-bound …

Biomimetic Devices To Drive A Thermodynamically Uphill Reaction Using Light And To Degrade Industrial Waste Stream Components, Madison Joanne Sloan

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Given the amount of industrial waste produced each year, as well as the accruing amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere produced by the burning of fossil fuels, it is imperative that humanity develop environmentally-sustainable sources of energy and methods of remediation. Nature achieves both of these by use of enzymes as catalysts, inspiring interest in designing biomimetic systems capable of harnessing clean energy and remediating industrial waste. This study examined the ability of enzymes in electrochemical and convective flow systems to achieve these tasks. The first portion studied the incorporation of enzymes into an electrochemical system to drive the …

Effects Of Magnetically Induced Micro-Mixing On Nanofiltration Performance, Guanghui Song

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nanofiltration (NF) is a relatively new membrane separation process mainly used for removing low molecular weight species from aqueous and non-aqueous solutions. NF membranes suffer from concentration polarization leading to membrane fouling thus compromised membrane performance. Magnetically responsive nanofiltration (NF) membranes functionalized with superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPNs) attached to the chain ends of grafted polymer nanolayers have been shown to be effective in breaking concentration polarization at the membrane-liquid interface under an appropriate external oscillating magnetic field. Under an oscillating magnetic field, the movement of the polymer chains acts as micro-mixer leading to the suppression of concentration polarization and improved filtration …

Biomolecule Localization And Surface Engineering Within Size Tunable Nanoporous Silica Particles, Daniel M. Schlipf

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Mesoporous silica materials are versatile platforms for biological catalysis, isolation of small molecules for detection and separation applications. The design of mesoporous silica supports for tailored protein and biomolecule interactions has been limited by the techniques to demonstrate biomolecule location and functionality as a function of pore size. This work examines the interaction of proteins and lipid bilayers with engineered porous silica surfaces using spherical silica particles with tunable pore diameters (3 – 12 nm) in the range relevant to biomolecule uptake in the pores, and large particle sizes (5 - 15 µm) amenable to microscopy imaging

The differentiation of …

Bacteriorhodopsin-Based Sensors, Craig Friedrich, Donald Lueking, Mark Griep

Michigan Tech Patents

A sensor comprising a membrane containing bacteriorhodopsin. In one embodiment, the sensor comprises a layer of purple membrane between a first and a second electrode, wherein the electrodes are connected to a circuit such that a signal is produced when a charge is transferred across the membrane. In another embodiment, the sensor comprises a field effect transistor with a layer of purple membrane deposited on the gate. The layer of purple membrane may be further functionalized by adding fluorophores to the layer of purple membrane. The fluorophores may be deposited adjacent to the layer of purple membrane, or the fluorophores …

Modeling Chemical Degradation And Proton Transport In Perfluorosulfonic Acid Ionomers, Milan Kumar

Doctoral Dissertations

The ionomer-membrane interface in a membrane electrode assembly connects the catalyst and membrane and allows hydrated protons to move between the catalyst and membrane. The continuous operation of the polymer membrane electrolyte fuel cell at high temperature and/or in frequent freeze/thaw cycles leads to membrane degradation and delamination of the interface, which lower the proton conductivity. In this dissertation, we modeled the chemical degradation and proton conductivity of perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomers by ab initio calculations and macroscopic modeling. All ab initio calculations were performed using Gaussian 03 suites of program by employing B3LYP/6-311++G** method/basis set. The macroscopic modeling involves …

Retention And Viability Characteristics Of Mammalian Cells In An Acoustically Driven Polymer Mesh, Zhaowei Wang, Paul Grabenstetter, Donald L. Feke, Joanne M. Belovich

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

A processing approach for the collection and retention of mammalian cells within a high porosity polyester mesh having millimeter-sized pores has been studied. Cell retention occurs via energizing the mesh with a low intensity, resonant acoustic field. The resulting acoustic field induces the interaction of cells with elements of the mesh or with each other and effectively prevents the entrainment of cells in the effluent stream. Experiments involving aqueous suspensions of polystyrene particles were used to provide benchmark data on the performance of the acoustic retention cell. Experiments using mouse hybridoma cells showed that retention densities of over 1.5 × …

Measurement And Analysis Of Oxygen/Nitrogen/5a-Zeolite Adsorption Equilibria For Air Separation, Orhan Talu, Jianmin Li, Ravi Kumar, Paul M. Mathias, J. Douglas Moyer Jr, Joan M. Schork

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Multicomponent adsorption equilibrium data are essential for the reliable design of processes and equipment for gas separation by adsorption. We discuss techniques for the measurement and analysis of multicomponent adsorption equilibrium data, and present a comprehensive set of equilibrium data for the adsorption of oxygen and nitrogen on 5A-zeolite.