College - Author 1
College of Engineering
Department - Author 1
Biomedical Engineering Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Biomedical Engineering
Date
3-2026
Primary Advisor
Trevor Cardinal, College of Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Department
Abstract/Summary
Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease (PAOD) affects millions of people in the United States, creating pain, discomfort, and limited mobility due to restricted blood flow from obstructed arteries. While current treatments include lifestyle changes and revascularization procedures, these options are often insufficient or inaccessible because of procedural pain and socioeconomic barriers. In some cases, this can lead to critical limb ischemia and amputation as a last resort. Increasing blood flow to the extremities by enhancing collateral vessel growth, a biological process called arteriogenesis, with cell-based therapies can redirect blood flow around obstructions and has potential to mitigate and treat the effects of PAOD, potentially preventing amputation with critical limb ischemia. Unfortunately, a major challenge in cell-based therapies is anoikis, cell death caused by detachment from the extracellular matrix, which reduces cell survival and treatment effectiveness. This study aims to investigate intramuscular injections of cells in a low-viscosity polymer to evaluate the feasibility of this delivery method for evaluating cell-based therapy candidates in animal models. A step-wise method was used to develop a reproducible protocol for intramuscular injections, starting with Evan’s blue dye injections and microspheres as surrogates for live cells, before progressing to cell injections in deceased mice, acute injections in live mice, and chronic injections in live mice. Images were captured for all conditions and analyzed to assess dose presence and distribution along the muscle across conditions. Intramuscular injections of cells in saline and in hydrogel vehicles showed no significant difference in retention and distribution, but cells did survive and maintained a presence in both cases after a 3-day survival study. This research shows promise in intramuscular injections of cells for the treatment of PAOD and can ultimately support the development of a minimally invasive, cell-based therapy for PAOD.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/bmedsp/211