Projects - 2019 to 2021
University of California Davis
01
AnglER: Device for Respirators
Designed for emergency room surgeons during COVID-19 who have been using elastomeric respirators that muffle and attenuate their speech. In a surgical setting, it's imperative that surgeons/surgical staff can understand one another and not lose time clarifying between things such as "15" and "50".
In the early stages we used surveys to gain a better understanding of the user's needs and thus allowed us to outline design metrics.
This device both filters and amplifies the user's speech without compromising the seal of the mask. Filtration removes the muffle while the amplification makes it easier to understand one another over background noise in the ER. It's additionally lightweight, comfortable, and can be sterilized.
I fully designed the circuitry which allows for filtration and amplification. The primary features of the circuit are an operational amplifier as well as three filters. Since this is a lightweight and small device, to shrink it down, I designed a PCB on Fritzing and manufactured it with a PCB mill. Subsequently, I soldered the necessary electrical components and performed verification and validation tests throughout this process. Additionally, an extensive FMEA was performed and the prototype was subjected to countless tests.
The electronics themselves are contained in a custom 3D printed housing made of Onyx. Since the circuitry is fully enclosed, the user only interacts with the volume knob, on/off switch, and battery compartment.
02
Microfluidic Device: CTC Capture
The aim of this project was to develop a Class II device in Solidworks to increase the capture efficiency of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) using both deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) and micro-magnetic separators. CTCs are cells that shed from tumors, enter the bloodstream, and subsequently metastasize to other parts of the body. In capturing them, it is possible to obtain information regarding tumor status, treatment progression, and diagnosis.
The design of this device relied on triangular shaped pillars to filter the blood in accordance with cell size as CTCs are larger in diameter and thus due to DLD their flow paths diverge from that of the rest of the blood. In addition to DLD, the CTCs are tagged with biotinylated anti-EpCAM and bonded with avidin-coated magnetic beads. This is done so that when a magnet is placed on the side of the device, it will assist with diverting the flow path of the tagged CTC.
Additionally, the device was to be manufactured via soft lithography. Also experiments to prove the viability of the device were outlined and plans to use statistical analysis to determine whether it surpasses current benchmarks were created.
03
Redesigned Skin Stapler
The aim of this project was to redesign a 35W Oasis surgical skin stapler to address the 13,750 cases of surgical stapler malfunctions reported every year. The two main limitations that were addressed were device misfiring and staple misalignment.
Staple misfiring is one of the most common causes of adverse side-effect lawsuits as misfiring can puncture the patient and increase the risk of infection. To combat this, a safety was added. Staple misalignment also increases the risk of infection as it can lead to improper closure of wounds/incisions. To help prevent this, the device was updated with a clear head.
For machining, a 3D printer, lathe, mill, and belt sander were going to be used to create the device's individual parts.
The stapler was modeled in Solidworks and finite element analysis following everyday use simulations and drop tests was performed around points of weakness.
04
iPSC-Derived Lung Organoids
The premise of this project was to engineer a new protocol and bioreactor to develop patient-specific iPSC-derived lung organoids 50% faster than conventional methods to be used in COVID-19 therapeutic drug testing. To increase the speed at which the organoids could be developed, differentiating iPSCs would be volumetrically compressed, i.e. "squeezed" to activate growth pathways. Squeezing would be achieved by way of culturing the iPSCs in a plastic petri dish with PEG.
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05
Synthetic Biological Circuit
The aim of this project was to develop a synthetic circuit which allows for both the detection as well as apoptosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and B-cell lymphoma. Synbio devices allow for a more direct approach to the detection and treatment of cancers as the specific components used in the device can be chosen to target very specific types of cancer rather than testing for just any cancer. It allows for a more tailored treatment for each patient that can better suit their needs.
The device operates on the basis of logic gates specifically an AND gate and NOT gate in parallel, followed by an OR gate in series that leads to apoptosis when activated.
The AND gate is used to detect the presence of lymphoma. If the necessary inputs are present, it produces araC which feeds into the OR gate and drives the output of hBax. The NOT gate detects the presence of leukemia. If the necessary complex is present, it similarly produces araC which feeds into the OR gate and thus produces hBax.
Therefore, when hBax is produced it means that either APL or B-cell lymphoma is present and therefore the cancer cells will undergo apoptosis. Testing will be performed with luciferase rather than hBax to determine that healthy cells aren't forced to undergo apoptosis.
Utilizing knowledge of fluid dynamics and tissue engineering, I created a custom rotating wall bioreactor with a stationary inner cylinder and rotating outer cylinder that allows for rapid differentiation of lung cells.
Additionally, a drug testing plan was formulated to track drug efficacy against a SARS-CoV-2 pseudo-entry virus.
06
Antimicrobial Peptide Synthesis
The aim of this report was to develop diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to counter a hypothetic global apocalyptic event in which a new pathogenic bacterial strain X161 emerged and began infecting everyone.
Specifically, X161 is Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae which is a type of gram-negative bacteria with a high resistance to carbapenems, an antibiotic agent, due to its production of carbapenemase which makes carbapenem ineffective through the hydrolysis of β-lactams. β-lactams prevent synthesis of peptidoglycan in bacteria and thus the cell no longer has internal structural support and lyses.
In this project, X161 had 5 different strains which required the creation of 5 variable primers for each strain and a primer for homologous identification. The 5 variable forward primers had sequences which were unique to each individual strain but also contained a sequence found in all 5 strains at the 3' end. This was included to make sure the sample comes from this bacteria. The homologous primer was a reverse primer whose sequence is in all 5 strains.
In order to produce the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) P161, Pichia Pastoris GS115, a species of methylotrophic yeast with high biocompatibility, was used. The possibility of AMPs inhibiting cell growth was additionally taken into account by creating a fusion protein between the AMP and a poly histidine tag to eliminate the risk of AMPs destroying host cells.
In addition, a detailed strategy to synthesize the therapeutic AMP was developed.
07
Perfusion Bioreactor
This bioreactor was designed with the intent of creating a perfusion bioreactor which did not result in any cells becoming necrotic. The predecessor to this bioreactor had a major issue that when a 3D tissue engineered product out of human mesenchymal stem cells was being grown, cells at the center of the scaffold underwent necrosis.
Taking into account this problem as well as user needs, a perfusion bioreactor was designed in Solidworks to ensure that the cell culture media reached all cells and thus resulted in improved cell viability and proliferation.
This bioreactor accomodates 3 scaffolds, has a continuous inlet flow rate, and fits inside a laboratory incubator.
08
Multiple Sclerosis Treatment
The aim of this project was to create a company, ExiStential, which treats multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disorder, which affects millions of people worldwide. The proposed cure reverses demyelination of the central nervous system by inserting a drug-eluting stent (DES) into the cephalic vein of the patient. By using a stent the number of required injections is severely minimized. This stent releases two antibodies: Natalizumab and rHIgM22.
Natalizumab halts disease progression by preventing the migration of immune cells across the blood-brain barrier while rHIgM22 promotes remyelination. Thus this proposed treatment is innovative, preventative, and restorative.
Since this is a company, a financial report was also generated which estimated a profit of $62.8 billion.
09
Osteoarthritis Treatment
The goal of this project was to create an affordable regenerative treatment for osteoarthritis (OA). The proposed treatment is a GL/PRP injection which is basically a mixture of glucosamine, platelet rich plasma (PRP), and sodium bicarbonate. GL has been shown to inhibit cartilage from breaking down further but it also reduces the activation of platelets in joints. Thus, by adding PRP, the inhibition of platelet activation is overcome and PRP additionally aids in regenerating cartilage through providing regenerative growth factors to the cartilage.