Matching Items (17)
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- All Subjects: Biomedical Engineering
- Genre: Masters Thesis
- Creators: Nikkhah, Mehdi
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
Description
Flow measurement has always been one of the most critical processes in many industrial and clinical applications. The dynamic behavior of flow helps to define the state of a process. An industrial example would be that in an aircraft, where the rate of airflow passing the aircraft is used to determine the speed of the plane. A clinical example would be that the flow of a patient's breath which could help determine the state of the patient's lungs. This project is focused on the flow-meter that are used for airflow measurement in human lungs. In order to do these measurements, resistive-type flow-meters are commonly used in respiratory measurement systems. This method consists of passing the respiratory flow through a fluid resistive component, while measuring the resulting pressure drop, which is linearly related to volumetric flow rate. These types of flow-meters typically have a low frequency response but are adequate for most applications, including spirometry and respiration monitoring. In the case of lung parameter estimation methods, such as the Quick Obstruction Method, it becomes important to have a higher frequency response in the flow-meter so that the high frequency components in the flow are measurable. The following three types of flow-meters were: a. Capillary type b. Screen Pneumotach type c. Square Edge orifice type To measure the frequency response, a sinusoidal flow is generated with a small speaker and passed through the flow-meter that is connected to a large, rigid container. True flow is proportional to the derivative of the pressure inside the container. True flow is then compared with the measured flow, which is proportional to the pressure drop across the flow-meter. In order to do the characterization, two LabVIEW data acquisition programs have been developed, one for transducer calibration, and another one that records flow and pressure data for frequency response testing of the flow-meter. In addition, a model that explains the behavior exhibited by the flow-meter has been proposed and simulated. This model contains a fluid resistor and inductor in series. The final step in this project was to approximate the frequency response data to the developed model expressed as a transfer function.
ContributorsHu, Jianchen (Author) / Macia, Narciso (Thesis advisor) / Pollat, Scott (Committee member) / Rogers, Bradley (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
There is a strong medical need and important therapeutic applications for improved wireless bioelectric interfaces to the nervous system. Multichannel devices are desired for neural control of robotic prosthetics that interface to remaining nerves in limb stumps of amputees and as alternatives to traditional wired arrays used in for some types of brain stimulation. This present work investigates a new approach to ultrasound-powering of implantable microelectronic devices within the tissue that may better support such applications. These devices are of ultra-miniature size that is enabled by a wireless technique. This study investigates two types of ultrasound-powered neural interfaces for multichannel sensory feedback in neurostimulation. The piezoceramics lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer were the primary materials used to build the devices. They convert ultrasound to electricity that when rectified by a diode produce a current output that is neuro stimulatory to peripheral nerve or the neurons in the brain. Multichannel devices employ a form of spatial multiplexing that directs focused ultrasound towards localized and segmented regions of PVDF or PZT that allows independent channels of nerve actuation. Different frequencies of ultrasound were evaluated for best results. Firstly, a 2.25 MHz frequency signal that is reasonably penetrating through body tissue to an implant several centimeters deep and also a 5 MHz frequency more suited to application for actuation of devices within a less than a centimeter of nerve. Results show multichannel device performance to have a complex inter-relationship with frequency, size and thickness, angular incidence, channel separations, and number of folds (layers connected in series and parallel). The output electrical port impedances of PVDF devices were examined in relationship to that of stimulating electrodes and tissue interfaces. Miniature multichannel devices were constructed using an unreported method of employing state of the art laser cutting systems. The results show that PVDF based devices have advantages over PZT, because of better acoustic coupling with tissue, known better biocompatibility, and better separation between multiple channels. However, the PZT devices proved to be better overall in terms of compactness and higher outputs for a given ultrasound power level.
ContributorsNanda Kumar, Yashwanth (Author) / Towe, Bruce (Thesis advisor) / Muthuswamy, Jitendran (Committee member) / Nikkhah, Mehdi (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
One out of ten women has a difficult time getting or staying pregnant in the United States. Recent studies have identified aging as one of the key factors attributed to a decline in female reproductive health. Existing fertility diagnostic methods do not allow for the non-invasive monitoring of hormone levels across time. In recent years, olfactory sensing has emerged as a promising diagnostic tool for its potential for real-time, non-invasive monitoring. This technology has been proven promising in the areas of oncology, diabetes, and neurological disorders. Little work, however, has addressed the use of olfactory sensing with respect to female fertility. In this work, we perform a study on ten healthy female subjects to determine the volatile signature in biological samples across 28 days, correlating to fertility hormones. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the air above the biological sample, or headspace, were collected by solid phase microextraction (SPME), using a 50/30 µm divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (DVB/CAR/PDMS) coated fiber. Samples were analyzed, using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS). A regression model was used to identify key analytes, corresponding to the fertility hormones estrogen and progesterone. Results indicate shifts in volatile signatures in biological samples across the 28 days, relevant to hormonal changes. Further work includes evaluating metabolic changes in volatile hormone expression as an early indicator of declining fertility, so women may one day be able to monitor their reproductive health in real-time as they age.
ContributorsOng, Stephanie (Author) / Smith, Barbara (Thesis advisor) / Bean, Heather (Committee member) / Plaisier, Christopher (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Severe cases of congenital heart defect (CHD) require surgeries to fix the structural problem, in which artificial grafts are often used. Although outcome of surgeries has improved over the past decades, there remains to be patients who require re-operations due to graft-related complications and the growth of patients which results in a mismatch in size between the patient’s anatomy and the implanted graft. A graft in which cells of the patient could infiltrate, facilitating transformation of the graft to a native-like tissue, and allow the graft to grow with the patient heart would be ideal. Cardiac tissue engineering (CTE) technologies, including extracellular matrix (ECM)-based hydrogels has emerged as a promising approach for the repair of cardiac damage. However, most of the previous studies have mainly focused on treatments for ischemic heart disease and related heart failure in adults, therefore the potential of CTE for CHD treatment is underexplored. In this study, a hybrid hydrogel was developed by combining the ECM derived from cardiac tissue of pediatric CHD patients and gelatin methacrylate (GelMA). In addition, the influence of incorporating gold nanorods (GNRs) within the hybrid hydrogels was studied. The functionalities of the ECM-GelMA-GNR hydrogels as a CTE scaffold were assessed by culturing neonatal rat cardiomyocytes on the hydrogel. After 8 days of cell culture, highly organized sarcomeric alpha-actinin structures and connexin 43 expression were evident in ECM- and GNR-incorporated hydrogels compared to pristine GelMA hydrogel, indicating cell maturation and formation of cardiac tissue. The findings of this study indicate the promising potential of ECM-GelMA-GNR hybrid hydrogels as a CTE approach for CHD treatment.
As another approach to improve CHD treatment, this study sought the possibility of performing a proteomic analysis on cardiac ECM of pediatric CHD patient tissue. As the ECM play important roles in regulating cell signaling, there is an increasing interest in studying the ECM proteome and the influences caused by diseases. Proteomics on ECM is challenging due to the insoluble nature of ECM proteins which makes protein extraction and digestion difficult. In this study, as a first step to perform proteomics, optimization on sample preparation procedure was attempted.
As another approach to improve CHD treatment, this study sought the possibility of performing a proteomic analysis on cardiac ECM of pediatric CHD patient tissue. As the ECM play important roles in regulating cell signaling, there is an increasing interest in studying the ECM proteome and the influences caused by diseases. Proteomics on ECM is challenging due to the insoluble nature of ECM proteins which makes protein extraction and digestion difficult. In this study, as a first step to perform proteomics, optimization on sample preparation procedure was attempted.
ContributorsSugamura, Yuka (Author) / Nikkhah, Mehdi (Thesis advisor) / Smith, Barbara (Committee member) / Willis, Brigham (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Cardiac tissue engineering has major applications in regenerative medicine, disease modeling and fundamental biological studies. Despite the significance, numerous questions still need to be explored to enhance the functionalities of the engineered tissue substitutes. In this study, three dimensional (3D) cardiac micro-tissues were developed through encapsulating co-culture of cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts, as the main cellular components of native myocardium, within photocrosslinkable gelatin-based hydrogels. Different co-culture ratios were assessed to optimize the functional properties of constructs. The geometry of the micro-tissues was precisely controlled using micro-patterning techniques in order to evaluate their role on synchronous contraction of the cells. Cardiomyocytes exhibited a native-like phenotype when co-cultured with cardiac fibroblasts as compared to the mono-culture condition. Particularly, elongated F-actin fibers with abundance of sarcomeric α-actinin and troponin-I were observed within all layers of the hydrogel constructs. Higher expressions of connexin-43 and integrin β1 indicated improved cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Amongst co-culture conditions, 2:1 (cardiomyocytes: cardiac fibroblasts) ratio exhibited enhanced functionalities, whereas decreasing the construct size adversely affected the synchronous contraction of the cells. Therefore, this study indicated that cell-cell ratio as well as the geometrical features of the micropatterned constructs are among crucial parameters, which need to be optimized in order to enhance the functionalities of engineered tissue substitutes and cardiac patches.
ContributorsSaini, Harpinder (Author) / Nikkhah, Mehdi (Thesis advisor) / Vernon, Brent (Committee member) / Towe, Bruce (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
Several debilitating neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and spinal cord injury, are characterized by the damage or loss of neuronal cell types in the central nervous system (CNS). Human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can proliferate extensively and differentiate into the various neuronal subtypes and supporting cells that comprise the CNS. As such, hNPCs have tremendous potential for disease modeling, drug screening, and regenerative medicine applications. However, the use hNPCs for the study and treatment of neurological diseases requires the development of defined, robust, and scalable methods for their expansion and neuronal differentiation. To that end a rational design process was used to develop a vitronectin-derived peptide (VDP)-based substrate to support the growth and neuronal differentiation of hNPCs in conventional two-dimensional (2-D) culture and large-scale microcarrier (MC)-based suspension culture. Compared to hNPCs cultured on ECMP-based substrates, hNPCs grown on VDP-coated surfaces displayed similar morphologies, growth rates, and high expression levels of hNPC multipotency markers. Furthermore, VDP surfaces supported the directed differentiation of hNPCs to neurons at similar levels to cells differentiated on ECMP substrates. Here it has been demonstrated that VDP is a robust growth and differentiation matrix, as demonstrated by its ability to support the expansions and neuronal differentiation of hNPCs derived from three hESC (H9, HUES9, and HSF4) and one hiPSC (RiPSC) cell lines. Finally, it has been shown that VDP allows for the expansion or neuronal differentiation of hNPCs to quantities (>1010) necessary for drug screening or regenerative medicine purposes. In the future, the use of VDP as a defined culture substrate will significantly advance the clinical application of hNPCs and their derivatives as it will enable the large-scale expansion and neuronal differentiation of hNPCs in quantities necessary for disease modeling, drug screening, and regenerative medicine applications.
ContributorsVarun, Divya (Author) / Brafman, David (Thesis advisor) / Nikkhah, Mehdi (Committee member) / Stabenfeldt, Sarah (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
The pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), remain difficult to ascertain in part because animal models fail to fully recapitulate the complex pathophysiology of these diseases. In vitro models of neurodegenerative diseases generated with patient derived human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) could provide new insight into disease mechanisms. Although protocols to differentiate hiPSCs and hESCs to neurons have been established, standard practice relies on two dimensional (2D) cell culture systems, which do not accurately mimic the complexity and architecture of the in vivo brain microenvironment.
I have developed protocols to generate 3D cultures of neurons from hiPSCs and hESCs, to provide more accurate models of AD. In the first protocol, hiPSC-derived neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) are plated in a suspension of Matrigel™ prior to terminal differentiation of neurons. In the second protocol, hiPSCs are forced into aggregates called embryoid bodies (EBs) in suspension culture and subsequently directed to the neural lineage through dual SMAD inhibition. Culture conditions are then changed to expand putative hNPC populations and finally differentiated to neuronal spheroids through activation of the tyrosine kinase pathway. The gene expression profiles of the 3D hiPSC-derived neural cultures were compared to fetal brain RNA. Our analysis has revealed that 3D neuronal cultures express high levels of mature pan-neuronal markers (e.g. MAP2, β3T) and neural transmitter subtype specific markers. The 3D neuronal spheroids also showed signs of neural patterning, similar to that observed during embryonic development. These 3D culture systems should provide a platform to probe disease mechanisms of AD and enable to generation of more advanced therapeutics.
I have developed protocols to generate 3D cultures of neurons from hiPSCs and hESCs, to provide more accurate models of AD. In the first protocol, hiPSC-derived neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) are plated in a suspension of Matrigel™ prior to terminal differentiation of neurons. In the second protocol, hiPSCs are forced into aggregates called embryoid bodies (EBs) in suspension culture and subsequently directed to the neural lineage through dual SMAD inhibition. Culture conditions are then changed to expand putative hNPC populations and finally differentiated to neuronal spheroids through activation of the tyrosine kinase pathway. The gene expression profiles of the 3D hiPSC-derived neural cultures were compared to fetal brain RNA. Our analysis has revealed that 3D neuronal cultures express high levels of mature pan-neuronal markers (e.g. MAP2, β3T) and neural transmitter subtype specific markers. The 3D neuronal spheroids also showed signs of neural patterning, similar to that observed during embryonic development. These 3D culture systems should provide a platform to probe disease mechanisms of AD and enable to generation of more advanced therapeutics.
ContributorsPetty, Francis (Author) / Brafman, David (Thesis advisor) / Stabenfeldt, Sarah (Committee member) / Nikkhah, Mehdi (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of disease related death in women, contributing over
40,000 fatalities annually. The severe impact of breast cancer can be attributed to a poor
understanding of the mechanisms underlying cancer metastasis. A primary aspect of cancer
metastasis includes the invasion and intravasation that results in cancer cells disseminating from
the primary tumor and colonizing distant organs. However, the integrated study of invasion and
intravasation has proven to be challenging due to the difficulties in establishing a combined tumor
and vascular microenvironments. Compared to traditional in vitro assays, microfluidic models
enable spatial organization of 3D cell-laden and/or acellular matrices to better mimic human
physiology. Thus, microfluidics can be leveraged to model complex steps of metastasis. The
fundamental aim of this thesis was to develop a three-dimensional microfluidic model to study the
mechanism through which breast cancer cells invade the surrounding stroma and intravasate into
outerlying blood vessels, with a primary focus on evaluating cancer cell motility and vascular
function in response to biochemical cues.
A novel concentric three-layer microfluidic device was developed, which allowed for
simultaneous observation of tumor formation, vascular network maturation, and cancer cell
invasion/intravasation. Initially, MDA-MB-231 disseminated from the primary tumor and invaded
the acellular collagen present in the adjacent second layer. The presence of an endothelial network
in the third layer of the device drastically increased cancer cell invasion. Furthermore, by day 6 of
culture, cancer cells could be visually observed intravasating into the vascular network.
Additionally, the effect of tumor cells on the formation of the surrounding microvascular network
within the vascular layer was evaluated. Results indicated that the presence of the tumor
significantly reduced vessel diameter and increased permeability, which correlates with prior in vivo
data. The novel three-layer platform mimicked the in vivo spatial organization of the tumor and its
surrounding vasculature, which enabled investigations of cell-cell interactions during cancer
invasion and intravasation. This approach will provide insight into the cascade of events leading up
to intravasation, which could provide a basis for developing more effective therapeutics.
40,000 fatalities annually. The severe impact of breast cancer can be attributed to a poor
understanding of the mechanisms underlying cancer metastasis. A primary aspect of cancer
metastasis includes the invasion and intravasation that results in cancer cells disseminating from
the primary tumor and colonizing distant organs. However, the integrated study of invasion and
intravasation has proven to be challenging due to the difficulties in establishing a combined tumor
and vascular microenvironments. Compared to traditional in vitro assays, microfluidic models
enable spatial organization of 3D cell-laden and/or acellular matrices to better mimic human
physiology. Thus, microfluidics can be leveraged to model complex steps of metastasis. The
fundamental aim of this thesis was to develop a three-dimensional microfluidic model to study the
mechanism through which breast cancer cells invade the surrounding stroma and intravasate into
outerlying blood vessels, with a primary focus on evaluating cancer cell motility and vascular
function in response to biochemical cues.
A novel concentric three-layer microfluidic device was developed, which allowed for
simultaneous observation of tumor formation, vascular network maturation, and cancer cell
invasion/intravasation. Initially, MDA-MB-231 disseminated from the primary tumor and invaded
the acellular collagen present in the adjacent second layer. The presence of an endothelial network
in the third layer of the device drastically increased cancer cell invasion. Furthermore, by day 6 of
culture, cancer cells could be visually observed intravasating into the vascular network.
Additionally, the effect of tumor cells on the formation of the surrounding microvascular network
within the vascular layer was evaluated. Results indicated that the presence of the tumor
significantly reduced vessel diameter and increased permeability, which correlates with prior in vivo
data. The novel three-layer platform mimicked the in vivo spatial organization of the tumor and its
surrounding vasculature, which enabled investigations of cell-cell interactions during cancer
invasion and intravasation. This approach will provide insight into the cascade of events leading up
to intravasation, which could provide a basis for developing more effective therapeutics.
ContributorsNagaraju, Supriya (Author) / Nikkhah, Mehdi (Thesis advisor) / Ebrahimkhani, Mohammad (Committee member) / Kiani, Samira (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy is a type of cancer immunotherapy has shown promising results in engineering the T cells which targets a specific antigen. Despite their success rate, there are certain limitations to the use of CAR-T therapies that includes cytokine release syndrome (CRS), neurologic toxicity, lack of response in approximately 50% of treated patients, monitoring of patients treated with CAR-T therapy. However, rapid point- of- care testing helps in quantifying the circulating CAR T cells and can enhance the safety of patients, minimize the cost of CAR-T cell therapy, and ease the management process. Currently, the standard method to quantify CAR-T cell in patient blood samples are flow cytometry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). But these techniques are expensive and are not easily accessible and suitable for point- of- care testing to assist real- time clinical decisions. To overcome these hurdles, here I propose a solution to these problems by rapid optical imaging (ROI)- based principle to monitor and detect CAR-T cells. In this project, a microfluidic device is developed and integrated with two functions: (1) Centrifuge free, filter- based separation of white blood cells and plasma; (2) Optical imaging- based technique for digital counting of CAR T- cells. Here, I carried out proof- of- concept test on the laser cut prototype microfluidic chips as well as the surface chemistry for specific capture of CAR-T cells. These data show that the microfluidic chip can specifically capture CAR-T positive cells with concentration dependent counts of captured cells. Further development of the technology could lead to a new tool to monitor the CAR-T cells and help the clinicians to effectively measure the efficacy of CAR-T therapy treatment in a faster and safer manner.
ContributorsElanghovan, Praveena (Author) / Wang, Shaopeng (Thesis advisor) / Forzani, Erica (Committee member) / Nikkhah, Mehdi (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Placental pregnancy is a biological scenario where tissue types bearing different antigen signatures co-exist within the same microenvironment without rejection. Placental trophoblast cells locally modulate the immune system in pregnancy, and one process through which this occurs is through the release of a class of nano-scaled extracellular vesicles called exosomes. The aim is to use these placental-derived immunomodulatory exosomes as a therapeutic and engineer a means to deliver these exosomes using a hydrogel vehicle. As such, two representative trophoblast cell lines, JAR and JEG-3, were used as exosome sources. First step involved the evaluation of the morphological and proteomic characterization of the isolated exosomes through dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging, and mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. Following exosome characterization, incorporation of exosomes within hydrogel matrices like polyethylene glycol and alginate to determine their release profile over a timescale of 14 days was performed. Comparing the release between the two cell lines isolated exosomes, no discernible difference is observed in their release, and release appears complete within two days. Future studies will evaluate the impact of exosome loadings and hydrogel modification on exosome release profiles, as well as their influence on immune cells.
ContributorsHiremath, Shivani Chandrashekher Swamy (Author) / Weaver, Jessica D (Thesis advisor) / Plaisier, Christopher (Committee member) / Wang, Kuei-Chun (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021