Date of Award

2-2014

Degree Name

MS in Biomedical Engineering

Department/Program

Biomedical and General Engineering

Advisor

Robert Crockett

Abstract

Design of Controlled Environment for Tissue Engineering

Malcolm Lapera

Tissue engineering aims at relieving the need for donor tissue and organs by developing a process of creating viable tissues in the laboratory setting. With over 120,000 people awaiting a transplant, the need for generating tissue engineered organs is very large [3]. In order for organs to be engineered, a few issues need to be overcome. A work space that both creates an environment which maintains cell viability over an extended period of time as well as accommodates the necessary fabrication equipment will be needed to further tissue engineering research. Therefore, a design for a “Tissue Engineering Hood,” will be developed and evaluated. The goal of this design will provide an environment capable of providing 37°C, 95% humidity, and 5% CO2, actively deter contamination, and provide the necessary support hardware for a 3D printer designed for tissue engineering. The design detailed in this paper was implemented successfully and evaluated. The current design has issues creating the proper environmental conditions, however does actively prevent contamination, and provides the necessary support hardware for a 3D printer. The current design was capable of reaching a temperature of 32°C, had issues increasing the humidity while incorporating the laminar air flow aspect of the design, and design flaws in the door allowed CO2 to leak too rapidly. After remedying these and a few other minor issues described in the report, the tissue engineering hood will be a beneficial tool for use in tissue engineering.

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