Date of Graduation

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Chemical Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Richardson, William

Abstract

Improvements regarding the drug discovery process are necessary due to less than 1% of drugs making it from the initial discovery phase to patient treatment in clinics. One method of enhancing this process involves improving the relevance and dependability of in vitro testbeds utilized during pre-clinical testing. Improvement along these factors can provide a more relevant view for eventual drug behavior in patients. This additional relevance can allow for a reduced timeline in drug development for improving patient care. A consistent and morphologically sound baseline engineered tissue is vital to the creation of successful experimental models. Parameters such as cell and collagen concentration in engineered tissue fabrication affect the eventual mature morphology of the engineered tissue. Characteristics impacted by these parameters include tissue compaction, activity, uniformity, and functionality. These characteristics can inform optimal conditions. The aim of this study is to determine which cell and collagen concentrations yield a superior testbed for future in vitro testing of collagen based engineered tissues utilized in mechanical stretch studies where morphology is critical. Optimal behavior was found in condition A, possessing the lowest cell (1.75E+06 cell/ml) and collagen (1 mg/ml) concentration combination, due to its ideal compaction results not requiring a mechanical release. Lower protein concentrations were found to increase compaction, along with activity, uniformity, and functionality results. Future experiments will utilize condition A as the superior testbed for applying mechanical conditions in strives to improve the drug delivery process for the goal of patient benefit.

Keywords

collagen, engineered tissue, gel fabrication, optimize, cell concentration, protein concentration

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