Master’s Project Presentation
“The Effects of Surface Topography and Attachment Factor Solutions on Endothelial Cell Morphology Under Laminar and Disturbed Flow Conditions”
Anna Callaghan
Abstract: Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, with 20.5 million deaths reported in 2021. The current gold standard treatments are bare metal and drug eluting stents, which are associated with inflammation, thrombosis, mechanical damage to the vessel wall, and Intimal Hyperplasia (IH). However, bioresorbable stents fabricated via micro-continuous liquid interface production (microCLIP) have emerged. This promising technique could allow personalized medical care. However, there is a gap in understanding how surface topography and various cell attachment solutions influence endothelial cells (ECs) under hemodynamic conditions. Micropatterned scaffolds and various attachment factor solutions were used to model cell morphology and retention rate under laminar and disturbed flow. This study evaluated the morphological responses of human aortic ECs (HAECs) and human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs) seeded on nanoporous patterned and flat scaffolds coated with either a fibronectin and collagen solution or an extracellular matrix attachment factor solution (EMAF) under laminar flow, disturbed flow, and static control conditions. Samples were imaged using spinning disk confocal microscopy and analyzed in ImageJ FIJI. Statistical comparisons were performed using Kruskal-Wallis tests with Dunn's post-hoc correction. In both coating conditions and under both flow conditions, results demonstrated that substrates with topography significantly promoted cell elongation and alignment more than flat substrates. This data supports the idea that surface topography and various coatings should be incorporated into future bioresorbable stents to promote endothelial health.
| Project Advisor: | Defense Committee: | |
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Yonghui Ding, PhD Assistant Professor Biomedical Engineering Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
Solomon Mensah, PhD (Chair) Assistant Professor Biomedical Engineering Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
Zhenglun Alan Wei, PhD Assistant Professor Biomedical Engineering Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
For a zoom link, please email kharrison@wpi.edu