Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Application Of Innovative High-Throughput Techniques To Serum Biomarker Discovery, Izabela Debkiewicz Karbassi

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry continues to evolve as a promising technique for serum protein expression profiling and biomarker discovery. As seen in our initial SELDI-TOF MS and MALDI-TOF MS profiling study of serum for the assessment of breast cancer risk, many profiling strategies typically employ single chemical affinity beads or surfaces to decrease sample complexity of dynamic fluids like serum. However, most proteins, captured on a particular surface or bead, are not resolved in the lower mass range where mass spectrometers are most effective. To this end we have designed an expression profiling workflow that utilizes immobilized trypsin paramagnetic beads in …

Competitive Enzyme Immunoassay By Polyclonal Antibodies Against Organophosphorus Pesticides, Kuo-Lan Wen

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Organophosphorus compounds (OPs) comprise one of the major classes of pesticides in use today because they are highly effective and less toxic. Because of their extensive use, there is a need for monitoring OPs in water and vegetables. Gas chromatography (GC) is the usual method for OPs screening, but it is time-consuming and has the high cost of instrumentation. The goal of this project was to find an easy method which was sensitive and had less instrumentation required to test OPs.

Microwells and microtubes were utilized as the solid-phase immobilization for the development of an enzyme immunoassay for OPs. A …

Optimization Of Cryopreservation Protocols For Cardiovascular Tissue, Jianfei Hu

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of cryopreservation on the physical, biochemical and cellular aspects of heart valve tissue. The present study demonstrated that radiolabeled proline accumulation provides a quantitative estimate of total cellular metabolic viability. Radiolabeled inulin was demonstrated to be a useful marker for extracellular tissue space. Assessment of metabolic viability of the cellular population of leaflet tissue as a function of procurement and processing revealed that proline accumulation declined with increasing warm and cold ischemic times. Amphotericin B and streptomycin were toxic to the cells. Cefoxitin, lincomycin, polymyxin B, vancomycin and penicillin had …

Development And Characterization Of Monoclonal Antisperm Antibodies: Potential For Contraception, Dilrowshan H. Haque

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

There is an expressed need to develop a greater variety of safe contraceptive methods which would find acceptance worldwide, particularly in developing countries. Immunization against spermatozoa might be such a method as judged by the accumulated evidence from studies on human females and in a number of female animal species.

Two extraction techniques were used for sperm membrane antigen isolation. The first technique involved NP-40 detergent for antigen extraction from human motile sperm and the second technique employed homogenized human testis for antigen extraction. Using these immunogens, sperm membrane-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were developed. When these antisperm MAbs were subjected …