The ability to encapsulate drugs in a polymer delivery vehicle can have significant practical benefits. Polymers may allow for greater apparent solubility, as well as …
The ability to move magnetic particles at a distance through the use of external magnetic fields has broad implications in drug delivery, soft robotics and …
This work aimed to identify the morphological effects of heat and pressure on high molecular weight (300,000 kDa) polyethylene oxide, with a specific focus on …
The need to improve the longevity of orthopedic implants in vivo is increasingly important as the annual number of primary hip and knee replacements are …
Mechanical integrity is one of the most important goals which biological tissues and biomaterials aim to achieve in order to support the life processes inside …
Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the single leading cause of death in the world and restorative treatment for IHD poses a global healthcare challenge. Myocardial …
Stem cells have shown great promise for the treatment of human disease. However, stem cell therapies are limited by heterogeneous differentiation. As a result, researchers …
The work in this dissertation develops two different biomaterial approaches towards advancing our understanding of how neural cell behavior, specifically migration and proliferation, can respond …
Bacteria infections are the leading cause of patient mortality following injury. Conventional treatments include systemic delivery of broad-spectrum antibiotics. However, this leads to offsite toxicity …
"Smart'' hydrogels are 3D networks of crosslinked hydrophilic polymers that can dramatically and dynamically change in response to triggered stimuli such as temperature, pH, and …
The conversion of epithelial cells to mesenchymal cells, or the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), is a phenotypic program critical to embryonic development and wound healing, however, …
The overarching goal of this project is to utilize modulated differential scanning calorimetry and hot-stage x-ray diffraction to characterize and quantify the formation of oriented …
Central nervous system (CNS) pathologies which are characterized by cell death and tissue loss currently lack effective treatment options. Cell therapies have emerged as a …