Date of Award

12-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

First Advisor

James R. Brenner, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Robert J. Usselman, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Christopher A. Bashur, Ph.D.

Fourth Advisor

Jessica Smeltz, Ph.D.

Abstract

The development of a Modular Automated Tissue Engineering Test Bed (MATETB) is the next step in the development of cheap and easily available in vitro cell regulatory systems for both academic and industrial purposes. This project outlined the framework and requirements for a device that could automatically regulate and collect data on a cell culture through the manipulation of its liquid environment. From this framework, a prototype was built. The device would fulfill cell culture needs while collecting data automatically and allowing for live viewing and imaging of cells. The device was comprised of a mechanical skeleton (MS), an environmental regulatory system (ERS), and a data acquisition and environmental manipulation program (DAEMP). The basic needs fulfilled by the device include the addition of nutrients to the cell culture, the removal of waste from its environment, and the manipulation of the environment to maintain proper levels for factors such as pH, salinity, and temperature. This MATETB would be used to follow an “alternate pathway” of cell culture research that, instead of manipulating variables directly and by hand, would manipulate the cell culture automatically through its environment via this machine. By offering a cheaper, less labor-intensive, and more available method of data collection, the large pool of data needed to create complex cell behavior models can be gathered. These models would then be used in the future to further optimize the MATETB for research purposes on the academic level and for the creation of tissue-based products on the industrial level.

Comments

Copyright is held by author.

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