Semester of Graduation

Summer 2021

Degree

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME)

Department

Mechanical Engineering

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

A myocardial infarction (MI) occurs every 39 seconds in the United States. As of 2016, an estimated 550,000 new and 200,000 recurrent episodes of myocardial infarction (MI) occur each year in the United States was. Infarction is often distinguished by a considerable decrease in wall thickness and an increase in heart size or left ventricular volume. This behavior happens when there is a prolonged lack of blood flow, usually due to damage or clotting, which causes cardiomyocytes to die (CMs). The development of non-contractile infarct scarring is the primary pathophysiology of MI. While the infarct scar prevents myocardial rupture during the acute phase of MI, chronic fibrosis in the infarct scar and border zone impairs the electrical coupling of surviving CMs. These scars cause an increase in cardiac stiffness as well as a change in the makeup of the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. The creation of this platform is described to demonstrate the proof-of-concept of casting the infarct border zone (iBZ, the region between the infarct and normal heart muscle) for optimal mechanical optimization of biomaterials. Synthetic cardiac tissues resembling normal and infarcted left ventricles may be created using a mix of extracellular matrix proteins and nanomaterials. Various concentrations of the ECM in the bioink were used to test the rheological characteristics of bioinks containing collagen types I, III, and IV, Laminin (LN-111), Fibronectin, and methacrylated gelatin. The boundary conditions for viscosity and viscoelasticity were determined for casting, and the CCK-8 test was performed to evaluate cell viability within these constructs.

Committee Chair

Ramachandra Devireddy

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.5403

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