Journal of Undergraduate Research

Kenneth Solen, Chemical Engineering In clinical practice, variations among patients in the degree of blood-material interaction are evidenced in the fact that physicians have long sought for ways to provide patient-specific treatment1. No clinical screening yet exists to test the level of interaction expected from a given patient. My research attempted to test the hypothesis […]

Bryant Staples and Dr. William Pitt, Chemical Engineering The tri-block copolymer, Pluronic P105, has been found to be an ideal ultrasonically activated drug delivery vehicle because it forms micelles with hydrophobic polypropylene oxide cores that sequester hydrophobic drugs (Fig. 1). These micelles release their contents upon the application of low frequency ultrasound [1] such that […]

Douglas S. Lewis and Dr. William Pitt, Department of Chemical Engineering Introduction In the past decade, many efforts have been made to improve chemotherapeutic treatments for cancer patients. One of the specific efforts seeks to actively deliver anti-cancer drugs to the target tissue rendering the chemotherapy more efficient and less damaging to nearby uninfected cells. […]

James Lattin and Dr. William Pitt, Chemical Engineering For over a decade ultrasound enhanced drug delivery systems have been under development. These systems often use polymeric molecules that form micelles. In aqueous solutions (such as blood), a spherical micelle is formed as the hydrophilic ends of the molecules interact with the solution and the hydrophobic […]

Justin J Baker and Dr. William Pitt, Chemical Engineering Hydrogels are polymers that absorb water and thus swell in the presence of water and/or body fluids. Hydrogels have been used in many drug-delivery and medical applications.1 One such application is to apply a thin coating of a hydrogel to the outer surface of a hearing […]

Lyn Bobincheck and Dr. W. Vincent Wilding, Chemical Engineering Contaminated groundwater results from uncontrolled release of wastes such as fuel and industrial solvents. This contamination is cleaned up through several methods including bioremediation. Current methods of bioremediation include traditional pump and treat, bioventing, and bio-walls. Bio-walls are a new, promising technology described by several researchers.1,2 […]

Luke Werrett and Dr. Kenneth Solen, Chemical Engineering The objective of this research project was to identify a correlation between a traditional platelet activity test using an aggregometer, and a new test that measures interactions between blood and man-made materials in a simulated blood flow environment. A correlation between these data would give artificial organ […]

Spencer Smith and Dr. William Pitt, Chemical Engineering Introduction and Purpose Over the past years ultrasound has been used extensively in medical treatments. It is now being developed and tested in localized drug and gene delivery. One of the main applications for drug delivery is treating cancer. The first step in this process is to […]

Cody L. Martin and Dr. William Pitt, Chemical Engineering Gene delivery has been an important topic of medical and scientific research today, due to its potential in aiding the fight against cancer, heart disease and many genetic disorders. By transfecting appropriate genes into diseased cells, specific proteins can be produced that will alleviate problems at […]

Douglas S. Lewis and Dr. William G. Pitt, Chemical Engineering Introduction In the past decade, many efforts have been made to improve chemotherapeutic treatments for cancer patients. One of the specific efforts seeks to actively deliver anti-cancer drugs to the target tissue rendering the chemotherapy more efficient and less damaging to nearby uninfected cells. The […]