Loading Device to Enable Non-Surgical Study of Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis in Rodents
Arthritis is the single leading cause of disability in the US, affecting more than 30 million people. In many of these patients, arthritis is initiated by injury to the joint, such as that which occurs during rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). As such, surgical models of ACL rupture are commonly used to study the development of arthritis. The use of these surgical models is complicated by damage to other tissues in the joint that are transected in order to gain surgical access to the ACL. This effect is particularly important in small animals such as rodents.
A collaborative team including members of the Bonassar Lab (BME/MAE), the Fortier Lab (College of Veterinary Medicine), and the Rodeo Lab (Sports Medicine, Hospital for Special Surgery) have developed a non-surgical model of ACL rupture involving manual application of traumatic loads to the rodent stifle joint (i.e. knee). While effective, this manual method is difficult perform in a repeatable way. The goal of this project is to design and build a mechanical device that can control both the magnitude and direction of forces across the stifle to reliably produce the desired damage to the ACL.
Students who join the team will be tasked with: de novo design of a loading device; building and screening of prototypes, and benchmarking device performance relative to manual techniques on cadaveric rodent joints. Depending on the students' interest and background, additional opportunities may exist to deploy and assess this device during in vivo studies.
This project is well suited for 1-2 students who have a background in mechanical design, including CAD and fabrication. Familiarity with mechanical testing, Labview, and MatLab software is also desirable. Interested students should forward a copy of a resume and unofficial transcript to:
Contact: Prof. Larry Bonassar
Email: lb244@cornell.edu
Phone:5-9381
Office:149 Weill Hall
Methods and Devices for Reshaping Craniofacial Cartilage
More than 350,000 surgeries are performed each year to remove or reshape nasal septum cartilage, making septoplasty one of the most common medical procedures performed in the US. While effective, septoplasty is invasive, requires the use of a general anesthetic, and involves significant tissue morbidity. Non-surgical alternatives to septoplasty would greatly expand the patient base and minimize the occurrence of side effect associated with reconstruction of nasal cartilage.
A collaborative team including members of the Bonassar Lab (BME/MAE) and Aerin Medical, Inc. are exploring methods using sub-ablative radio frequency (RF) energy to reshape nasal septum cartilage. Aerin Medical has an RF device clinically approved for treatment chronic mucus overproduction and is in clinical trials to assess the efficacy of reshaping nasal valve cartilage. Because the nasal septum is stiffer than nasal valve, adjunct treatments such as enzymatic exposure in addition to RF treatment are being investigated for their ability to reshape the nasal septum.
Students who join the team will be tasked with: optimization of concentration and time of enzymatic exposure and design of an appropriate device to deliver these enzymes to patients. Depending on the students' interest and background, additional opportunities may exist to deploy and assess this device during in vivo studies.
This project is well suited for 2 students who have a background in tissue handling, dissection, mechanical testing and mechanical design, including CAD and fabrication. Familiarity with mechanical testing, Labview, and MatLab software is also desirable. Interested students should forward a copy of a resume and unofficial transcript to:
Contact: Prof. Larry Bonassar
Email: lb244@cornell.edu
Phone:5-9381
Office:149 Weill Hall
Delivery of Injectable Patches for Intervertebral Disc Repair
More than 300,000 discectomy surgeries are performed each year in the US to treat herniated discs. Such procedures involve only the removal of herniated disc material, with no attempt to repair the damaged disc. As a result, up to 20% of patients who have this procedure have recurrent herniations, frequently through the same defect in the disc. Effective sealing of such defects would prevent further herniations and significantly slow the process of degenerative disc disease.
The Bonassar Lab (BME/MAE) in collaboration with Dr. Roger Härtl (Chief of Spine Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical) and 3DBio Corp, and Ithaca-based startup company, have developed an injectable patch composed of a collagen gel and the photocrosslnker riboflavin that can seal defects in herniated discs. These injectable patches have been shown to effectively inhibit disc degeneration in rat and sheep models of disc degeneration. Moving this technology to the clinic will require development of devices for controlled delivery of the patch and application of light to the disc to initiate photocrosslinking.
Students who join the team will be tasked with: developing a delivery strategy for photocrosslinkable collagen gels to he rniated discs; developing a prototype device, maximizing the use approved, off the shelf components; and testing the prototype on cadaveric spines. Depending on the students' interest and background, additional opportunities may exist to deploy and assess this device during in vivo studies.
This project is well suited for 2-3 students who have a background in biomaterials, instrumentation, and mechanical design, including CAD and machining. Interested students should forward a copy of a resume and unofficial transcript to:
Contact: Prof. Larry Bonassar
Email: lb244@cornell.edu
Phone:5-9381
Office:149 Weill Hall
Wearable and Implantable Sensors for Monitoring of Arthritis Patients
Affecting more than 30 million people in the US, arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the developed world. Despite this great demand, on average only 1 new drug for arthritis treatment begins clinical trials each year. A major challenge in performing clinical trial on osteoarthritis is that the main outcome measures used to assess treatment efficacy rely on subjective assessments of pain and activity levels. More reliable and quantitative assessments of patient activity before and after treatment has the potential to greatly accelerate the development of arthritis treatments.
The Bonassar Lab (BME/MAE) in collaboration with Drs. Lisa Fortier (College of Veterinary Medicine) and Scott Rodeo (Chief of Sports Medicine, Hospital for Special Surgery) are interested in developing wearable and implantable sensors for continuous monitoring of activity levels of patients in pre-clinical and clinical trials.
Students who join the team will be tasked with: surveying the landscape of existing sensor technology; designing devices capable of transmitting data to mobile and central logging stations; building and testing prototype sensors. Depending on the students' interest and background, additional opportunities may exist to deploy and assess this device during in vivo studies.
This project is well suited for 3-4 students who have a background in electronics, instrumentation, and mechanical design, including CAD and machining. Interested students should forward a copy of a resume and unofficial transcript to:
Contact: Prof. Larry Bonassar
Email: lb244@cornell.edu
Phone:5607-255-9381
Office:149 Weill Hall