Bioengineering Graduate Degree Program Theses and Dissertations
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Recent Submissions
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Impaired signaling in senescing T cells: investigation of the role of reactive oxygen species using microfluidic platforms and computational modeling
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012-06-21)The goal of cancer immunotherapies is to boost the immune system's ability to detect tumor antigens and mount an effective anti-tumor immune response. Currently, adoptive T cell transfer therapy (ACT), the administration ... -
Development of virtual mitral valve leaflet models from three-dimensional echocardiography
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012-07-05)Mitral valve (MV) disease is responsible for approximately 2,581 deaths and 41,000 hospital discharges each year in the US. Mitral regurgitation (MR), retrograde blood from through the MV, is often an indicator of MV ... -
Bone tissue engineering utilizing adult stem cells in biologically functionalized hydrogels
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2013-04-09)Repair of large bone defects remains a clinical challenge for orthopedic surgeons. Current treatment strategies such as autograft and allograft are limited by the amount of available tissue in the case of the former, and ... -
Effects of the mechanical microenvironment on early avian morphogenesis
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2013-04-08)The objective of this work is to investigate the elastic modulus of gastrula-stage avian embryos and the effect of substrate stiffness on presumptive precardiac cell fate. Our overall hypothesis is that the mechanical ... -
Controlling the microenvironment of human embryonic stem cells: maintenance, neuronal differentiation, and function after transplantation
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-11-14)Precise control of stem cell fate is a fundamental issue in the use of human embryonic stem (hES) cells in the context of cell therapy We examined three ways in which the microenvironment can be controlled to alter hES ... -
Bio-functionalized peg-maleimide hydrogel for vascularization of transplanted pancreatic islets
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-11-08)Type 1 diabetes affects one in every 400-600 children and adolescents in the US. Standard therapy with exogenous insulin is burdensome, associated with a significant risk of dangerous hypoglycemia, and only partially ... -
Rational design and synthesis of drug delivery platforms for treating diseases associated with intestinal inflammation
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-08-29)Over 500 million people worldwide suffer from disease associated with intestinal inflammation, including gastric cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, h. pylori infections, and numerous viral and bacterial infections. Although ... -
Computational modeling reveals new control mechanisms for lignin biosynthesis
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012-08-16)Lignin polymers provide natural rigidity to plant cell walls by forming complex molecular networks with polysaccharides such as cellulose and hemicellulose. This evolved strategy equips plants with recalcitrance to biological ... -
The effects of aging and remodeling on bone quality and microdamage
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-05-16)One indication of increasing fragility of bone is the accumulation of microscopic cracks, or microdamage, within the bone matrix. Microdamage accumulates in bone of the elderly, when changes in bone material properties ... -
Incorporation of protease-sensitive biomaterial degradation and tensile strain for applications in ligament-bone interface tissue engineering
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-11-02)The interface between tendon/ligament and bone tissue is a complex transition of biochemical, cellular, and mechanical properties. Investigating computational and tissue engineering models that imitate aspects of this ... -
Novel nanocarriers for invasive glioma
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-07-08)The invasive nature of glioblastoma (GBM) represents a significant challenge to the standard of care and contributes to poor clinical outcomes. Invasion of tumors into healthy brain restricts chemotherapeutic access and ... -
Mechanisms of platelet capture at very high shear
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-04-05)Arterial thrombus forms from the capture and accumulation of circulating platelets on a stenosis. As the thrombus grows, the lumen becomes further stenotic producing very high shear rates as the blood velocities increase ... -
Biomechanics and biaxial mechanical stimulation of self-assembly tissue engineered blood vessels
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-04-01)Despite efforts by clinicians and scientists world-wide, coronary artery disease remains to be the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized nations. Development of a tissue engineered coronary by-pass ... -
Non-ionic highly permeable polymer shells for the encapsulation of living cells
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-04-05)In this study, we introduce novel, truly non-ionic hydrogen-bonded layer-by-layer (LbL) coatings for cell surface engineering capable of long-term support of cell function. Utilizing the LbL technique imparts the ability ... -
Nanocarrier mediated therapies for the gliomas of the brain.
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-01-21)Existing methods of treating glioma are not effective for eradicating the disease. Therefore, new and innovative methods of treatment alone or in combination with existing therapies are necessary. Delivery of therapeutic ... -
Tailoring the toughness and biological response of photopolymerizable networks for orthopaedic applications
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-08-27)Novel surgical strategies for spinal disc repair are currently being developed that require materials that (1) possess the appropriate mechanical properties to mimic the tissue the material is replacing or repairing and ... -
The hemodynamics during thrombosis and impact on thrombosis
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-11-15)Atherothrombosis can induce acute myocardial infarction and stroke by progressive stenosis of a blood vessel lumen to full occlusion. The goal of this research is to determine what shear rates are pertinent to an occluding ... -
Spatiotemporal dynamics of low frequency fluctuations in bold fMRI
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-08-27)Traditional fMRI utilizes blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) contrast to map brain activity. BOLD signal is sensitive to the hemodynamic changes associated with brain activity, and gives an indirect measure of brain ... -
Receptor recognition and response of dendritic cells to biomaterials
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-11-15)The goal of the work presented was to further understand how both the body and dendritic cells (DCs) interact and respond to biomaterials through receptor-mediated mechanisms. The role of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was ... -
Modulation of cell adhesion strengthening by nanoscale geometries at the adhesive interface
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-05-11)Cell adhesion to extracellular matrices (ECM) is critical to many cellular processes including differentiation, proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. Alterations in adhesive mechanisms are central to the behavior of ...
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