This project will develop a test method and any necessary equipment to perform accelerated aging of hydrogels to be used for tissue simulation. Standard oven testing does not realistically capture the lifetime of our current products. This project will require the students to understand accelerated aging principles, practice good test method development and develop a plan to validate their test method. It will also likely require some design work depending on the equipment selected/designed for the testing fixture/enclosure.

One of the aims of personalized medicine for cancer treatment is to be able to take data from a patient tumor and be able to predict the optimal treatment. This would be facilitated if we could make “digital twins” of the patient’s tumor. A digital twin is an in-silico representation of the tumor that is accurate enough for determining the stage of the tumor as well as to predict its future development. However, we typically only have a snapshot of the tumor at a single time from a patient, and do not have time resolved data. The goal of this project is to design and train a neural network model of cancer, which can serve as a bridge between real world data and simulations of first principles agent-based models that can give us time-resolved data on tumor development. Students will develop and implement a strategy to train the network with a combination of real-world imaging data and feedback from first principles models. Snapshot imaging data can come from public databases of cancer histology; time-resolved images will come from an instrument the team will design and build to monitor cell/organoid culture. If successful, such a model could serve to improve diagnosis and early detection of cancer, develop better therapy protocols, or optimize therapy for individuals.

The project will focus around expanding and exploring commercialization of a new capability that we are building at CSU to combine single-cell fluorescence microscopy, cell culture, genetics, biochemical labels, robotics, microfluidics, image processing, computational modeling, artificial intelligence, and automatic control. The team will modify these tools to track and select for cells of various phenotypes and also to run automated tests on these. The team will also be tasked with researching steps toward commercialization of this system for applications in high-throughput, high-fidelity clinical diagnosis and synthetic biology for personalized medicine.

Current at-home diagnostic tests are based on either lateral flow assays (LFAs) or molecular tests. LFAs are fast, easy-to-use, and inexpensive but lack the quantitative performance necessary for many diseases and are predominantly qualitative in nature. Molecular tests are much more sensitive and selective and can be quantitative. However, they are slow, expensive, and have limited application space. Burst Diagnostics has developed a point-of-care immunoassay platform that combines microfluidics with key aspects of LFAs to achieve laboratory-like performance at the point of care. We accomplish this through the use of chemiluminescence detection. Our initial product is targeted at urgent care settings and doctor’s offices but we have a desire to expand beyond this setting to at-home and remote settings as well as developing world settings. To meet these market needs, we need to develop a low-cost chemiluminescence reader that interfaces with our assays. The goal of this senior design project will be to develop a low-cost chemiluminescent reader that interfaces with a smart phone that can ultimately be adapted to at-home and resource limited settings.

Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies is a medical technology company. Our products, software and services enable customers to collect and prepare blood and cells to help treat challenging diseases and conditions. The R&D Innovation group explores potential advancements that can improve our service to health care needs throughout the world. This calls for individuals with creativity, inquisitiveness, a knack for collaboration, and drive to learn and try again when first attempts fail. One area for potential innovation would be to employ modern design and manufacturing technologies to make our devices more portable and accessible. In this feasibility project, students will be challenged to make modifications to the frame and form of an existing device to create a lighter-weight, more-compact centrifuge device frame. Keep in mind the need for these devices to pass EMI/EMC testing. Utilize advanced technologies and come up with out of the box ways to make this feasibility project your own, showing us what is possible.

Perform product qualification of the Flourish Medical Feminine Stress Incontinence product and do all the necessary analyses and testing to make it ready for FDA clearance including preparation of the FDA submittal package. This will include analyzing the design, deciding on the verification and validation testing, writing the protocols, performing the verification testing and coordinating with the company and its Chief Medical Officer on usability and clinical validation testing.

In the United States alone, agricultural waste from corn crops can contribute up to one-third of the nation’s solid waste. But what if this waste could be transformed into something valuable? Our project harnesses the potential of abundant agricultural byproducts to address two critical global issues: the overwhelming excess of agricultural waste and the lack of access to affordable, sustainable menstrual products. We are pioneering a method to convert corn stalks into high-quality, absorbent fibers that can be used in biomedical applications, such as sanitary pads and diapers. By turning waste into a resource, our mission is to innovate solutions that prioritize both people and the planet. For the 2024-2025 academic year, it expected that the team will be able to accomplish the following milestones: • Demonstrate that absorbent fluff can be produced from corn stalk in a lab setting. • Evaluate the absorbent quality of corn stalk fiber compared to other plant fibers (cotton, banana tree plant, bamboo, hemp). • Demonstrate that a mechanical process to commercialize corn stalk production is feasible. • Conduct a business feasibility study to understand where corn stalk fiber could enter the current fiber market.

In prosthetics, it is not very well known that most amputees do not know how much their prosthetic feet actually cost them. Due to the current method of distribution of prosthetic feet, big prosthetics manufacturing companies pay individual prosthetic shops to recommend their products to their clients. Prosthetics shops then act as retail shops for these big companies and cut out any opportunity for smaller companies to sell their product. Furthermore, most amputees don’t realize that they are spending upwards of $5,000 per prosthetic foot since the bill they receive is usually for the cost of a new prosthetic and is not itemized. To fix this, we propose a medium cost 3D printed Dynamic Response foot. Our product will go above and beyond in addressing the disconnect between the consumer and company and will be upfront about the cost and insurance coverage for our foot. In addition, the foot will be made of 3D printed materials that feature a robust design for both young and old. The foot shell we will design to go with the foot will also offer a never-before-seen quality of life improvement. Most big companies want to wow their customers with a flashy geometry or stickers and they forget the aspect of the foot that can make the most difference in the quality of an amputee’s gait; the foot shell. This foot shell will also be 3D printed and the product will also be available for a customer to buy directly from us, the manufacturers. That means no more waiting to get a new prosthetic once a year or making do with the foot that is no longer responsive. This foot will be more affordable than current options on the market regardless whether insurance is applied on the purchase or not. This will force the big companies with a monopoly on the market to be more upfront about their pricing and will allow for smaller companies with cheaper prosthetic feet, like our proposed foot which will have a sale price of $2000 or less, to permeate the market.

We are developing a method for the production of autologous cancer vaccines which is based on using inactivated tumor cells derived from a patient’s tumor. These cells are subjected to a treatment process of exposure to UV light at specific wavelengths in combination with Riboflavin (vitamin B2) as a photosensitizer. The method inactivates the cells’ ability to replicate, but maintains membrane structure and antigen profile, allowing them to be used as an immunostimulatory agent in cell therapy applications for cancer patients. Currently, a commercial device for pathogen reduction treatment of blood products is used to implement the inactivation method, but a device specific to the need to treat smaller batches for the tumor cell inactivation application is needed. Two student groups have worked over the past 4 years to develop a flow system photoirradiation process that would greatly simplify the production of these samples of inactivated cells. We are seeking a student group to work with the PhotonPharma team to continue the design and development work for an early prototype of this system. Students will participate in project planning and specifications development and work with researchers and industry.

This project is focused on designing, building, and testing an interactive, physical, and electrical teaching model that will be used to demonstrate the neuroanatomy and muscles that enable our eyeballs to move in specific, coordinated ways. Eye movement is quite complex and involves several cortical brain regions, the brainstem, cranial nerves, and 6 muscles that attach to each eyeball (extraocular muscles). The model will need to incorporate each of these components, as well as switches that initially command the model to make specific eye movements through appropriately labeled circuits. For example, one switch would start a circuit that moves both eyes to the left. The initial switch will be linked to the appropriate cortex regions, then the midbrain neurons, the lower motor neurons, and finally artificial extraocular muscles that will physically cause the eyeballs to turn in the appropriate manner. The flow of information through the circuit should be visible using labels and sequentially activated lights. The idea is that neurobiology students can visualize the flow of information from the correct brain regions, through the circuit & to the extraocular muscles and the final eye movement. The model should also be able to demonstrate the effects of specific nerve damage. For example, damage to the representative abducens nerve on one side will cause the pupil of that eye to drift toward the nose (medially) due to lack of normal muscle tone. A reach goal would be to incorporate a component that represents vestibular input and leads to the vestibulo-ocular reflex. This reflex results in the eyes moving opposite to head movement when the gaze is focused on a visual object.

Anesthesia in austere environments is not readily available due to limitations with medical infrastructure, lack of personnel, and inadequate supplies. Typical anesthesia methods are not equipped for medical professionals to transport in limited areas, usually requiring a ventilator, infusion pumps, monitors, and more. A readily accessible portable nerve block kit would alleviate this need for more effective pain management in these situations. In addition, for more portability our kit will include powder anesthetics such as procaine, lidocaine, and tetracaine that can be reconstituted with saline or sterile water. This will allow for more compact packaging, longer shelf life, and lower cost. A portable nerve block kit is crucial for improving access to effective surgical care, ensuring better medical support in these challenging environments.

This project aims to develop an innovative system for measuring the force transduction exerted by sperm flagella during cell propulsion. The device, based on tracking force microscopy, allows the sperm head to be anchored while the flagellum remains free to move and apply force. Our proposed work includes designing the measurement device, creating a storage system for long-term stability, developing a user-friendly data analysis platform, optimizing fabrication protocols, and analyzing data from various sperm cell species (mouse, horse, bull). Through this project, we seek to advance our understanding of sperm biomechanics and contribute to reproductive health research.

The goal of Step Up Prosthetics is to increase access to prosthetic care in low-income communities through the development of a manufacturing process for prosthetic feet. Many clinics rely on donated components, which may not be in optimal condition or meet the patients’ needs. The kit includes all of the necessary equipment and instructions to allow clinics to easily and quickly make prosthetic feet. The project increases access to prosthetic care by providing clinics around the world with a method for fabricating low-cost, dynamic response, and durable prosthetic feet, to help amputees regain their mobility.

The main goal of this project is to design a new system to secure a patient's foot during a total knee replacement, that allows the physician to secure the patient in two dimensions instead of one (the current standard in products like the DeMayo). Another goal of this design is to improve the interference locking system, which will significantly reduce fatigue on the physician especially during cases with a larger patient.