Project Description: Current clinical options for aortic valve replacement for pediatric patients with congenital heart valve defects are grimly inadequate. Tissue engineering has the potential to address the serious need for heart valve replacements that are more suitable for growing children, by providing a living valve replacement capable of growth and integration. We have demonstrated that we can use a 3D printer to fabricate heart valve shaped constructs out of hydrogels and living cells, but the critical next step is to investigate cell and construct function under dynamic, physiological conditions. Our project team has developed a bioreactor culture system to mimic the cardiac cycle for the in vitro conditioning of 3D printed tissue engineered heart valve conduits. Two years ago the system was implemented using an Atmel microcontroller. Last year the system was converted to LabView with significant mechanical improvements. However, more work is needed to finalize the device.
MEng Activities/Goals: The MEng project would involve working with the existing bioreactor Matlab/Simulink programs, National Instruments LabView, and help run the system for culture experiments. Specifically:
1) We need to finish conversion of the control system to LabView.
2) We have a plan for parallel control of several bioreactors. We want to extend the setup to control the new proportional flow control valve.
3) We need to install and integrate an oxygenation sensor and delivery system into the flow loop.
4) We need to validate the pressure/flow limits and senstitivity of the bioreactor system with different numbers of bioreactors in-line, and confirm the viability of tissues cultured inside the bioreactor.
Advisor Name: Jonathan Butcher
- Email - jtb47@cornell.edu
ECE Field Advisor Name: Bruce Land
- Email – brl4
- Phone – 255-7994
- Office – 214 Phillips
Project Web Site:
http://people.ece.cornell.edu/land/courses/eceprojectsland/STUDENTPROJ/2013to2014/kl694/index.html
Interested candidates should email a statement of interest, an updated resume, and a fall semester class schedule to Jonathan Butcher (jtb47@cornell.edu). Teams of students are accepted. This project is being advertised to multiple departmental MEng programs.