Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering Commons^™

Calcium Alginate Microbead Production Via An Air Assisted Shearing Process, Ryan Loftus

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this project was to model the size of calcium alginate microbeads produced by extruding a solution of 1.5 wt.% alginate from a syringe and needle with air shear generated from a pneumatic line flowing in an annular tube around the extrusion needle. The air shear would create microdroplets that would fall into a solution of 2 wt.% calcium chloride in water, crosslinking the droplets into beads. These microbeads can be used in drug dispersion applications or in encapsulation of cells throughout the body due to their biocompatibility. The goal was to create uniform beads that ranged from …

Protein Sequence-Structure-Function Relationship: Testing Ke-50 Modification On Recombinant Green Fluorescent Protein (Acgfp), Anna E. Burkey

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Protein modification shows promise for improving the effectiveness of protein therapy, including the use of Interferon-beta-1b for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The addition of a chain of 50 lysine and glutamic acid residues (also called a KE50 modification) was tested on green fluorescent protein (AcGFP) to determine its effect on the bioactivity of the protein. Standard transformation protocol was used to grow the normal and modified proteins in E.Coli, and the bioactivity of the protein was measured using quantum yield and extinction coefficients to determine the reduction in brightness from the native form to the modified form. The …

Construction Of Polyurethane Fabric Nanocomposites For Use In Resistance Temperature Detectors-Effect Of Polyurethane Concentration, Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes, And Oxidant, Jordan M. Shaffer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Current resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) are rigid and create pressure points when used in contact with the human body. The current RTDs can also not be used in confined areas like the inside of a prosthetic. The research done for this paper explores the possibility of creating a soft fabric like RTD that can accurately measure temperature. This RTD could be used in medical devices, be placed in prosthetic legs, and be worn for a long period of time creating no discomfort for the user. Polyurethane scaffolds were created through an electrospinning process and multiwalled carbon nanotubes were adhered to …

Thermal Responsive Release Of A Model Drug, Rhoadmine B, From Alginate Bead System, Heather F. Fairbairn Miss

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Smart drug delivery systems have garnered increased interest in the biomedical community during recent years. Investigation into thermal, pH, and light responsive delivery systems allows for targeted drug release systems to be developed. For this project, thermal responsive release behavior was investigated for the purpose of tuning release systems to achieve 60% release in a specified time by varying the content of thermal responsive polymer. To investigate this, the release profile of a model small hydrophilic drug (rhodamine B) from polymeric alginate beads that have been modified by the addition of thermal responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm). It was determined that when …

Purification And Recovery Of Infectious Virus Particles Using Osmolyte Flocculation, Ashish Saksule

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Viral infectious diseases cause millions of deaths and severe illness all around the world affecting public health and economics. Viral vaccines are helping to fight against viral diseases, but current vaccines are expensive and unavailable, especially in poor and developing countries. When measuring the entire manufacturing processing, the downstream processing of vaccines is the major cost of production. Our goal for this research is to develop a low-cost alternative downstream processing platform for new vaccine manufacturing infrastructures. We have developed a novel osmolyte flocculation method for viral particles. To create a platform purification for several types of viral particles, we …

Noninvasive Measurement Of Electrical Events Associated With A Single Chlorovirus Infection Of A Microalgal Cell, Seung-Woo Lee, Eun-Hee Lee, Gerhard Thiel, James L. Van Etten, Ravi Saraf

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Chlorovirus Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus 1 (PBCV-1) contains a viral-encoded K⁺ channel imbedded in its internal membrane, which triggers host plasma membrane depolarization during virus infection. This early stage of infection was monitored at high resolution by recording the cell membrane depolarization of a single Chlorella cell during infection by a single PBCV-1 particle. The measurement was achieved by depositing the cells onto a network of one-dimensional necklaces of Au nanoparticles, which spanned two electrodes 70 μm apart. The nanoparticle necklace array has been shown to behave as a single-electron device at room temperature. The resulting electrochemical field-effect transistor …

Biological Activity Of Garcinia Kola On Hepatitis C, Madeline Dwyer

Honors Theses

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). According to the World Health Organization, hepatitis C infections affect between 130-150 million people worldwide. It is a major cause of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, and approximately 500,000 people die from hepatitis C infections or related complications each year. Although new treatments are 90% effective at curing chronic hepatitis C infections, they cost tens of thousands of dollars. Available treatments are incredibly cost prohibitive, especially considering that the regions most affected by hepatitis C are Africa and central and eastern Asia (Hepatitis C). This creates a …

Exploration Of Compound Viability As An Organ-Selective Anti-Metastatic Therapeutic Treatment For Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Ashley E. Noblin

Honors Theses

Phenformin and metformin are compounds that are currently used to treat Type II Diabetes and have been shown to suppress breast cancer metastasis. These compounds were tested, after extensive research and screening of current approved oncology drugs, in various experiments with the cell lines MDA-MB-231, LM, and BoM, with MDA-MB-231 being the parental cell line, LM being the lung metastatic line, and BoM being the bone metastatic line. The cells were treated with compound addition at various concentrations and subject to a two-day concentration response viability study in order to determine any inhibitory effects, followed by a five-day assay in …

An Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Sigma-1 And Sigma-2 Receptors And The Endocannabinoid System, Jenn Miller

Honors Theses

Within the past two decades, sigma receptors have become a popular area for research. Although much has been learned about their structure, subtypes, and functions; there is still much to be learned. Consisting of two receptor subtypes (sigma-1 and sigma-2), it has been discovered that sigma receptor ligands potentiate the analgesic effects of both opiates and cannabinoids, though the exact mechanism and sigma subtype on which this occurs is still unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine if potentiation of opiates and cannabinoids occurs through sigma-1 or sigma-2 receptor signaling. Tetrad assays were performed for: 1. Morphine, an …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Antioxidant Conjugated Poly(Βeta-Amino Ester) Micro/Nanogels For The Suppression Of Oxidative Stress, Prachi Gupta

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Oxidative stress is a pathophysiological condition defined by an increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can result in the growth arrest of cells followed by cell disintegration or necrosis. A number of small molecule antioxidants (e.g. curcumin, quercetin and resveratrol) are capable of directly scavenging ROS, thereby short-circuiting the self-propagating oxidative stress state. However, poor solubility and rapid 1^st pass metabolism results in overall low bioavailability and acts as a barrier for its use as a drug to suppress oxidative stress efficiently.

To overcome this limitation, these small molecule antioxidants were covalently conjugated into poly(β-amino ester) (PβAE) …

Peptide-Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles For Cancer Therapy Applications, Anastasia K. Hauser

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the United States. Radiation and chemotherapy are conventional treatments, but they result in serious side effects and the probability of tumor recurrence remains high. Therefore, there is an increasing need to enhance the efficacy of conventional treatments. Magnetic nanoparticles have been previously studied for a variety of applications such as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, anemia treatment, magnetic cell sorting and magnetically mediated hyperthermia (MMH). In this work, dextran coated iron oxide nanoparticles were developed and functionalized with peptides to target the nanoparticles to either the extracellular matrix …

G-Quadruplex Mediated Splicing Of P53 Mrna, Melissa Holy

Honors Theses

The protein p53 is a master regulator of the cell cycle and its mutation/inactivation is associated with over 50% of cancer cases. Mutations in p53 are associated with worse survival rates, resistance to therapies, and other risk factors in breast cancer specifically. p53 is encoded by the TP53 gene and is expressed as several transcripts. In the G-rich portion of intron 3, secondary DNA structures known as G-quadruplexes are able to form. The stabilization of these G-quadruplexes leads to correct splicing of intron 2, thus making a functional p53 protein. A known quadruplex-stabilizing compound (TMPyP4) was tested to determine its …

The Effects Of Genistein, Thymoquinone, Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate,5-Fluorouracil, And Low Level Laser Therapy On Fadu Hypopharyngeal And Laryngeal Carcinoma Cells, Osasu Adah

Honors Theses

Laryngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinoma are two types of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. The location of the tumor makes it hard to detect without complex tests. Overall, these types of cancer are not common, and there are no simple screening tests for such cancers. Due to this issue, laryngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinoma are usually diagnosed when signs and symptoms occur, such as sore throat, trouble swallowing, and constant coughing. With the use of FaDu, a head and neck cancer cell line of the hypopharyngeal origin, experimentation can be performed in order to initiate possible treatments. The standard treatments for …

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 …

Production And Harvest Of Microalgae In Wastewater Raceways With Resource Recycling, Alexander Colin Roberts

Master's Theses

Microalgae can be grown on municipal wastewater media to both treat the wastewater and produce feedstock for algae biofuel production. However the reliability of treatment must be demonstrated, as well as high areal algae productivity on recycled wastewater media and efficient sedimentation harvesting. This processes was studied at pilot scale in the present research.

A pilot facility was operated with nine CO₂-supplemented raceway ponds, each with a 33-m² surface area and a 0.3-m depth, continuously from March 6, 2013 through September 24, 2014. The ponds were operated as three sets of triplicates with two sets continuously fed …

Local Time-Averaged Gas Holdup In Fluidized Bed Reactor Using Gamma Ray Computed Tomography Technique (Ct), Abdelsalam Efhaima, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Many Invasive and Non-Invasive Techniques Have Been Used to Analyze the Hydrodynamics of Fluidized Beds. in This Study, the Effect of Superficial Gas Velocity and Bed Particle Density on the Hydrodynamics of Gas–solid Fluidized Beds Was Investigated by using a Cylindrical Plexiglas Fluidized Bed Column, 14 Cm in Diameter. Air at Room Temperature Was Used as the Fluidizing Gas and Two Different Geldart Type-B Particles Were Used: Glass Beads and Copper Particles with Material Densities of 2.5 and 5.3 G/cm3, Respectively, with the Same Size Particle, 210 µm. to Measure the Time-Averaged Cross-Sectional Gas and Solid Holdup Distribution, Gamma Ray …

Raman Spectroscopy Applied To The Noninvasive Detection Of Monosodium Urate Crystal Deposits, Declan J. Curran, Laurence Rubin, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An off-the-shelf Raman Spectrometer (RS) was used to noninvasively determine the presence of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals on the metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) of a single gout sufferer. The spectrum sourced from the clinically diagnosed gout sufferer was compared to that sourced from an age-matched healthy subject scanned using the same protocol. Minimal signal processing was conducted on both spectra. Peaks characteristic of MSU crystals were evident on the spectrum sourced from the gout sufferer and not on the spectrum from the healthy control.

Chemoselective Transfer Hydrogenation Of Nitroarenes Catalyzed By Highly Dispersed, Supported Nickel Nanoparticles, Chengjun Jiang, Zeyu Shang, Xinhua Liang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A recyclable highly dispersed Ni/SiO₂ catalyst was prepared by atomic layer deposition. Chemo selective reduction of nitroarenes was studied using the prepared Ni/SiO₂ as the catalyst and hydrazine hydrate as a hydrogen donor. Different kinds of nitroarenes were converted to the corresponding anilines with high yields. The high activity of the catalysts could be a result of the highly dispersed Ni nanoparticles. (Chemical Presented).

Thermodynamic Analysis Of Phenylpropanoid Pathway In Arabidopsis Thanliana, Patrick J. Ioerger, Rohit Jaini, John A. Morgan

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Biofuels represent a renewable alternative to traditional fossil fuels. As dependence on fossil fuels rise so does the importance of improving the production of alternative fuels. Lignin poses one obstacle in the development of such alternative fuels. Its presence strengthens cell walls and hinders degradation of polysaccharides into monosaccharides, increasing cost and time while decreasing efficiency of the process. Lignin is composed of three monolignols, each of which is produced through the Phenylpropanoid pathway; a series of chemical reactions. This work aims to determine which reactions in the pathway are least thermodynamically favorable and thus most limiting. From metabolic mapping …

A Novel Synthetic Yeast For Enzymatic Biodigester Pretreatment, Tianyu Tan, Mark S. Aronson, Arren Liu, Jill H. Osterhus, Melissa Robins, Suraj Mohan, Erich Leazer, Bowman Clark, Alexa Petrucciani, Katherine Lowery, James Welch, Casey Martin, Helena Lysandrou, Michael E. Scharf, Jenna Rickus

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Lignin, a complex organic polymer, is a major roadblock to the efficiency of biofuel conversion as it both physically blocks carbohydrate substrates and poisons biomass degrading enzymes, even if broken down to monomer units. A pretreatment process is often applied to separate the lignin from biomass prior to biofuel conversion. However, contemporary methods of pretreatment require large amounts of energy, which may be economically uncompelling or unfeasible. Taking inspiration from several genes that have been isolated from termites and fungi which translate to enzymes that degrade lignin, we want to establish a novel “enzymatic pretreatment” system where microbes secrete these …

The Identification Of Optimal Pathways In Synechocystis Sp. Pcc 6803 By Flux Balance Analysis, Ning Xuan Yip, John A. Morgan, Longyun Guo

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Cyanobacteria are microorganisms considered advantageous for producing valuable compounds because of their high growth rates compared to plants. They also can be grown at large scale in photobioreactors. This research aims to use metabolic engineering strategies to maximize the phenylalanine yield in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Our hypothesis is flux balance analysis will give different flux distributions with different objective functions. The scope of the project is modeling photoautotrophic metabolism of cyanobacteria with a genome scale stoichiometric model, testing several alternative objective functions. We also examined the tradeoff between growth and L-phenylalanine production with flux balance analysis. A linear programming …

Development Of A Novel Enzymatic Pre-Treatment For Lignocellulosic Biomass, Melissa Robins, Jenna Rickus

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Biofuels, fuels derived directly from living matter, present a renewable and environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum based fuels. Bioethanol produced from low input energy crops or agricultural waste is a promising fuel source because it does not interfere with the human food supply chain and the ethanol produced can be blended with gasoline. These potential sources of bioethanol are not yet commercially viable due to a polymer called lignin present in the plant’s cell wall which impedes the conversion of cellulose to glucose and the eventual fermentation of glucose to ethanol. Developing new methods for the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass …

Silver Nanoparticle Coated Bioactive Glasses - Composites With Dex/Cmc Hydrogels: Characterization, Solubility, And In Vitro Biological Studies, Anthony W. Wren, Pegah Hassanzadeh, Lana M. Placek, Timothy J. Keenan, Aisling Coughlan, Lydia R. Boutelle, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Silver (Ag) coated bioactive glass particles (Ag-BG) were formulated and compared to uncoated controls (BG) in relation to glass characterization, solubility and microbiology. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed a crystalline AgNP surface coating while ion release studies determined low Ag release (/L). Cell culture studies presented increased cell viability (127 and 102%) with lower liquid extract (50 and 100 ml/ml) concentrations. Antibacterial testing of Ag-BG in E. coli, S. epidermidis and S. aureus significantly reduced bacterial cell viability by 60-90%. Composites of Ag-BG/CMC-Dex Hydrogels were formulated and characterized. Agar diffusion testing was conducted where Ag-BG/hydrogel composites produced the largest inhibition zones …

Bioactive Glass Reinforced Elastomer Composites For Skeletal Regeneration: A Review, Ehsan Zeimaran, Sara Pourshahrestani, Ivan Djordjevic, Belinda Pingguan-Murphy, Nahrizul Adib Kadri, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Biodegradable elastomers have clinical applicability due to their biocompatibility, tunable degradation and elasticity. The addition of bioactive glasses to these elastomers can impart mechanical properties sufficient for hard tissue replacement. Hence, a composite with a biodegradable polymer matrix and a bio glass filler can offer a method of augmenting existing tissue. This article reviews the applications of such composites for skeletal augmentation.

Using Peptoids To Build Robust, Efficient Microarray Systems, Dhaval Sunil Shah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies have shown microarrays to be indispensable for various biological applications, allowing for high-throughput processing and screening of biological samples such as RNA, DNA, proteins and peptides using a small sample volume (< 1 µL). Peptoids (poly-N-substituted glycine oligomers) can be used as a substitute for antibodies as capture molecules, as well as coatings for slides in antibody microarrays. The ease of synthesis of peptoids, high customizability with desired bioactivity, and speed of synthesis allows us to build a diagnostic system with a large dynamic range that can detect biomolecules from a minimal sample size. In this study, peptoid-based antibody mimics are designed to have both structural and functional features similar to those of antibodies, including a stable constant region (scaffolding) and a variable region for protein recognition. Peptoids previously screened via combinatorial library synthesis to be specific to bind Mdm-2 (mouse double minute 2 homolog) and GST (gluthathione S-transferase), have been synthesized. The protein recognition peptoids have been conjugated to PEG (polyethylene glycol) molecules with modified end groups; an amine group on one end that allows for immobilization and orientation on the slide, and an azide group on the other end that will allow for attachment to the peptoid through “click chemistry”. The number of capture molecules printed on the slides can be increased by making the available surface area of the slide larger via coating with microspheres. We have determined that partially water soluble peptoids that are also helical, can self-assemble into microspheres. Sequences have been developed that can consistently produce uniform microsphere coatings on slides that increase the overall surface area. A high surface area corresponds to a higher number of binding sites, and therefore a more sensitive system. The work done has shown that slides may be successfully coated in order to potentially improve the detection system.

Peptoid-Based Klvff Mimics: A Unique Approach To Alzheimer's Disease, James Phillip Turner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading form of dementia worldwide. AD patients experience a slow, gradual cognitive decline that includes loss of memory and behavioral stability as the disease progresses. Surprisingly, AD is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and has had a profound impact on the U.S. economy. Though there are medications to help improve the quality of life of diagnosed patients for a period of time, there is still no cure for AD. AD is characterized by the build-up of amyloid plaques that develop from the aggregation of the amyloid beta protein (Aβ) in …

Effects Of Strontium Substitution On Bioactivity Of Hydroxyapatite, Chokchai Yatongchai, Lana M. Placek, Mark R. Towler, Anthony W. Wren

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Effect of strontium (Sr) substitution on bioactivity of hydroxyapatite (HA) was investigated. The substitution of Sr²⁺ for Ca²⁺ in the HA lattice increases biodegradability of Sr-substituted HA (Sr-HA) and accelerates the formation of apatite crystals on the Sr-HA surface. Moreover, the dissolution products from HA and Sr-HA samples are not cyto-toxic.

Three-Dimensional Ideal Gas Reference State Based Energy Function, Avdesh Mishra

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Energy functions are found to be a key of protein structure prediction. In this work, we propose a novel 3-dimensional energy function based on hydrophobic-hydrophilic properties of amino acid where we consider at least three different possible interaction of amino acid in a 3-dimensional sphere categorized as hydrophilic versus hydrophilic, hydrophobic versus hydrophobic and hydrophobic versus hydrophilic. Each of these interactions are governed by a 3-dimensional parameter alpha used to model the interaction and 3-dimensional parameter beta used to model weight of contribution. We use Genetic Algorithm (GA) to optimize the value of alpha, beta and Z-score. We obtain three …

Characterization Of Novel Chitosan/Polyelectrolyte Nanoparticles, Michaela Wynne Mertz

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Chitosan-based nanoparticles are under investigation as delivery vehicles for drugs, genes, and proteins. Due to the biocompatibility, mucoadhesive nature, and biodegradable nature of chitosan and binding qualities, anionic nature, and biocompatible qualities of heparin, chitosan/heparin nanoparticles (CHNPs) are a promising platform for the delivery of labile proteins. However, the literature lacks a definitive process to control the size, efficiency, and yield of CHNPs at higher concentrations of reagents. Additionally there is a need to improve loading efficiency of CHNPs. In this study CHNPs have been synthesized and characterized for size, yield, protein loading efficiency, and release. The CHNPs were prepared …

Effective Antisense Design Using An Ensemble Of Energetically Sub-Optimal Secondary Mrna Structures, Andrea M. Divenere

University Scholar Projects

There is a current deficit of effective therapies against bacterial infection. Many strategies seek using small molecules to target the infectious pathogen. One approach involves direct manipulation of the pathogen at the RNA level. Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a genetic transcript that encodes the fundamental instruction for protein production. Inhibiting mRNA translation effectively prevents protein synthesis.

The therapeutic agent must physically access mRNA to effectively block its message from being read. A technique has arisen where a complementary nucleic acid binding strand, called antisense, is generated to impede protein synthesis. An issue in creating effective antisense is finding mRNA target …