Biology and Biomimetic Materials Commons^™

3d Printed Microdialysis-Based Microsampling Probes, Patrick Pysz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work will show the development of a fully 3D printed device platform in which a complex microsampling probe geometry is fabricated in a simple two-step process. This process includes the combination of 2-photon polymerization (2PP) and masked-stereolithography (MSLA). The cutting edge neurotechnology needed to monitor brain internal communication and will require multiple sensing modalities including temperature, pressure, electrophysiological, and optogenetics. Microsampling is an integrally important function for any future biosensing device platform as it allows for chemical delivery and unparalleled specificity through offline analysis of collection samples. Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing has emerged as a powerful fabrication method capable …

Additive Manufacturing For Medical Education, Michael Noon

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

A growing body of evidence is suggesting that anatomical knowledge, the keystone of many medical specialties, is suffering among new graduates. While a host of reasons are provided, one common thread that many point to is the decline of cadaver dissections in the classroom. Many virtual audio-visual tools are used to address this gap, yet evidence has shown their ineffectiveness. Given this gap, the high degree of flexibility found in additive manufacturing (AM), and the many uses AM has already found in the medical field, we propose its use to fill this gap, allowing for students to learn with touch …

Wetting Transition Of Texturized Surfaces, Jenna Stephens

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Building on previous research, this project aims to continue the investigation of the wettability of various liquids on a uniform, texturized surface. Different surface energies can impact the wettability of a surface. The surface can be hydrophilic, hydrophobic, or in between. The goal of this project is to research how features of texturized surfaces affect the wetting transition of water, oil, and a mixture of both. Additionally, this project aims to improve the quality of the 3D printed surfaces. The surfaces that will be studied are constructed using UV cured resin 3D printing and are made up of an array …

Novel Low Shear 3d Bioreactor For The Scaled Production Of High Purity Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Andrew Burns

KGI Theses and Dissertations

Human mesenchymal stem cells are an ideal candidate for stem cell therapies. They have been researched since the 1960’s and can differentiate into many desired functional cell types without undergoing teratogenesis. However, higher yields are needed for a marketable, successful stem cell therapy. To accomplish this, cells will have to be cultured to expand them to therapeutically relevant dosages for multiple patients. Bioreactor production is an ideal method to solve this problem.

The aim of this thesis is to test and validate a novel bioreactor for the cultivation of human mesenchymal stem cells. In this work, we investigate a novel …

Materials Design With Polylactic Acid-Polyethylene Glycol Blends Using 3d Printing And For Medical Applications., Jeremiah R. Bauer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an examination of two material systems derived from polylactic acid (PLA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). PLA is a polymer commonly sourced from renewable sources such as starches and sugars. It is a relatively strong, biodegradable polymer, making it ideal for use in the body. Even though it has a relative high strength, PLA is also brittle leading to the use of plasticizers to increase flexibility. One such plasticizer is PEG, which is a material that can exist at room temperature as either a thin liquid, or a hard waxy solid depending on the molecular weight. The first …