M.Eng. Graduates

Mohammad Alattas, Grace Herchenroder, Jonathan Kaj, Christian Voloshen, Hancheng Wang, Andrew Boyuan Yang

Degenerative disc disease involves the deterioration of intervertebral discs in the spinal column, leading to loss of disc height, hydration and mechanical function. This can compromise spinal mobility and support, often causing neural compression, pain, and disability. Current fusion-based surgical treatments limit motion and impose excess stress on adjacent levels, resulting in a 20% lifetime risk of subsequent interventions. Bioengineered discs aim to restore native disc function and have shown promise in ex vivo and in vivo large animal studies. However, failures were noted due to early displacement from poor physiological integration. To address this, a biodegradable cage was designed to temporarily anchor the implant, facilitating integration with vertebral endplates as it degrades. Six-degree-of-freedom robotic testing and finite element analysis were then used to validate this novel cage design. Coupled with biologic disc development and optimization, this technology supports robust pre-clinical evaluation toward long-term efficacy and future human applications.

Lilly Goodwin, Anna Gwozdz, Anna Olivia Humiston,
Niranjan Vinay Kulkarni, Andrew Boyuan Yang

Accurate diagnosis of brain cancers requires high-quality, representative biopsy samples. Current technologies frequently produce limited tissue with poor integrity, especially in deep-seated malignancies. This concept presents a unique columnar biopsy apparatus that can harvest larger, undamaged core samples in a single session. The device has a dual cannula mechanism that allows for precision coring of tumor tissue while protecting healthy brain tissue. It underwent successful testing and validation, indicating increased sample volume and integrity. This method allows for more accurate diagnosis for brain tumor patients by eliminating the need for recurrent biopsies while preserving tumor heterogeneity.

Rajdeep Banerjee, Athena Borca, David Roberts, Andrew Boyuan Yang

Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) is multicausal, a lifelong risk for some, and a one-time emergency for others. The current standard for ICP monitoring requires hospitalization and immobility to ensure accuracy. A less invasive outpatient monitoring modality is needed. We developed an implantable, continuous, and wireless ICP monitor leveraging extradural pressure measurements via a capacitive force sensor between the dura and skull. Data is transmitted over bluetooth low energy. In testing, our device successfully differentiates pressure over the physiologic ICP range, potentially providing improved quality of life and peace of mind for otherwise stable patients who require ICP monitoring.

Sophia Asif, Katherine Bim-Merle, Asher Lal

Uterine fibroids affect up to 80% of women by age 50, with submucosal myomas causing significant symptoms such as heavy bleeding, pain, and infertility. Current treatments often require invasive surgery or separate procedures for ablation and tissue removal, increasing patient recovery time and procedural complexity. Our project aims to develop a novel, minimally-invasive device that integrates radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with mechanical morcellation to safely soften and remove fibroids in a single procedure. By combining targeted ablation and precision cutting, the system aims to reduce operative burden, preserve fertility, and improve patient outcomes while enhancing procedural efficiency for physicians.

Olivia Joy Dyke, Emily Chen, Pooja Singh

Our team provides a non-invasive diagnostic device to diagnose gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in infants. The current gold standard of diagnosis is through invasive devices such as a pH probe or the Bravo capsule. In the United States alone, 10-12% of infants experience ongoing GERD symptoms by the age of one. The millifluidic device, equipped with custom-made inlets, transports saliva and reflux samples from within the mouth to an external component housing a pH sensor for continuous monitoring. Fluid movement through the channels is driven by capillary action and the negative pressure created by a milli siphon pump.

Dawn Ann Bordenave, Lauren Leahr, Qimuge Liu, Hongrui Wen

Elastomers play a critical role in maintaining the seal integrity and barrier properties of primary containment for pharmaceutical or biological drugs. Elastomeric stoppers help prevent contamination, maintain sterility, and maintain container closure integrity. However, these stoppers remain a potential source of contamination themselves. The extractable and leachable profile for the elastomeric stoppers is critical for ensuring drug product safety and efficacy. Applying a film or coating to the plug (drug contact) side of the elastomer is one way to reduce its extractable and leachable profile. Depending on the elastomeric formulation, some extractable and leachable compounds may still be detected. To address this challenge, we have developed a next-generation container elastomeric closure system compatible with both polymer and glass vials. This novel design significantly reduces direct drug-elastomer contact, thereby further minimizing the risk of contamination.

Abhijeet Govind Anoop Kumar, Anna Meilin Gu, Ryan Rockett

Venous blood collection is the gold standard for diagnostics, but typically requires trained phlebotomists, limiting its use in non-clinical settings. To address this, we developed VeinEase, an assistive device that enables minimally-trained users to perform safe and consistent venipuncture. Guided by customer discovery, which revealed key challenges such as hand shakiness, inconsistent insertion angles, and low user confidence. We designed VeinEase with a stable, angled stand to support optimal needle positioning and promote muscle memory. The device features a modular system—including a needle housing, flex bar mechanism, and attachable base—engineered for stability, ease of use, workflow integration, and improved first-attempt success rates.

Antik Chakraborty, Javier Mayorga-Kintanar, Alex Senderov, Peixian (Patrick) Xu

Although modern blood collection systems are effective, blood leakage has not been fully eliminated, exposing healthcare workers worldwide to harmful bloodborne pathogens. We developed a device to improve the safety and reliability of the BD Vacutainer® system by addressing potential leakage and blood exposure risks. Our multi-pronged solution features a wire-guided sleeve for controlled elasticity, a clip-on valve to halt blood flow during vial exchange, and an absorbent cap to capture residual blood. Supporting BD’s mission, this work aims to reduce biohazard risks and improve both healthcare worker and patient safety.

Nilabha Mukherjea, Eniola Olaleye, Kavya Panchal, Giuseppina (Pina) Than, Yihan Wang

In 2023, only 33% of nurses agreed that their units were adequately staffed. The shortage is driven by a lack of professional availability to acquire information from and communicate information to medical-surgery patients. Artificial Intelligence (AI) scribes and item-retrieval bots are currently on the market, but do not directly help patients. The team determined that a Synthetic Nurse Bot (SNB) could serve as a companion to patients in medical-surgical rooms and as an assistant to their nurses. The team created a look-alike prototype of the SNB using generative AI tools. To gather feedback on customer preferences about bot-patient interaction, desired functions, and bot appearance, the team designed multiple immersive user-experience experiments and discussions. These findings will become the foundation for future design specifications.

Haripriya Bhattaru, Benjamin McLean, Wade Rianda

EFS Lotus is a safer, smarter alternative in enteral feeding care. More than half a million babies are born prematurely in the U.S. each year. For these babies, and others who cannot eat by mouth, enteral feeding devices are essential tools for survival and growth. But, when these devices fail by way of tube dislodgement, painful leakage, or stoma closure, the consequences can be distressing and dangerous. Traditional low-profile gastrostomy devices, often called G-buttons, rely on an inflatable silicone balloon to stay secured in the mucosal lining of the stomach. These balloons can rupture without warning, leading to emergency interventions and ER visits. EFS Lotus, developed in collaboration with Boehringer Labs, introduces a groundbreaking, balloon-free alternative. Our one-of-its-kind internal anchoring mechanism creates a wide, stable bolster that secures the device in place and prevents leakage. Discreet, dependable, and designed for home use, EFS Lotus delivers peace of mind and a safe vessel for nutrition to those who need it most.

Alina Abramoff, Nikki Kwiatkowski, Brendan McGarr, Zhibo Zhang

Ensuring optimal knee stability and function after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) requires precise intraoperative control of ligament tension. Incorrect ligament function can result in instability and mechanical loosening, two of the leading causes of revision TKA. Currently, surgeons assess tension qualitatively and do not have access to quantified ligament tension. The digital ligament tensioner is a device designed to quantify medial collateral ligament (MCL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) tension. This allows surgeons to verify implant spacer size and bone cuts to ensure post-operative joint stability and ligament balance, which we expect will reduce the rate of revision TKA and increase patient satisfaction.

Fahad Alhuthaifi, Jerry Chen, Yuqing Fan, Girardy Momplaisir

In this project, a modular robotic system that helps researchers replicate and study knee joint dynamics is designed and developed by our team. The setup includes a UFactory xArm 850 robot with 6 degrees of freedom, a force/torque sensor, an IR camera, and a 3D scanner used to align the joint’s position in space. Our system provides both displacement and force control capabilities, and it’s able to determine knee joint motion under simulated loads and other external conditions. This data is then quantified into translation, rotation, and force feedback, which is useful for studying injuries like ACL tears, meniscus tears, and more. This project aims to create an open-source platform that future researchers can build on, with affordability being a byproduct of its modular design, making biomechanical research more accessible and adaptable, using affordable and readily available components.

Priyanka Joshi, Yushi Wu, Hanzhe Xu

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has significantly improved outcomes for patients with aortic stenosis by providing a less invasive alternative to open-heart surgery. However, current TAVR systems face critical limitations, including compromised coronary access and limited long-term durability due to structural valve deterioration, often caused by calcification within ten years. To address these limitations, we propose a modular TAVR design. The anchoring interfaces and a catheter-based retrieval system with biocompatible porous screens enable low-trauma valve removal and effective embolic debris capture. This approach aims to preserve coronary access, maintain optimal hemodynamic performance, and enable safer, more manageable long-term valve replacement strategies.

Oriana Sihe Chen (advised by Dr. Jan Lammerding)

Taking advantage of high-resolution imaging to better assess the effect of the confined migration on the function and fate of cancer cells, we aim to determine how different degrees of confinement affect cell migration/invasion efficiency, and effects on cell division and survival. The project aims to train a machine-learning model that can capture these unique cellular characteristics and greatly improve tracking capabilities. This will allow for more accurate analysis of cell migration speed and persistence, proliferation rates, cell lineage, and nuclear envelope rupture, yielding deeper insights into how nuclear deformation influences cellular migration behavior in physiological processes.

Amy Hidalgo (advised by Dr. Eve Donnelly)

Although obesity was historically considered a protective factor for skeletal health, recent studies indicate that individuals with obesity paradoxically have higher risk of bone fracture than non-obese individuals despite greater bone mineral density. This observation suggests that adipose tissue may degrade bone material properties, but little is known about how this process may occur. The objective of this project was to study the effects of obesity on the microarchitecture and material properties of bone tissue. Bone samples from a mouse model of obesity were characterized using microCT and mechanical testing.

Veda Joshi (advised by Dr. Robert Weiss)

This research project aims to understand and validate the role of Sirtuin 1 in the development and progression of cancer that ultimately contributes to cancer metastasis. Triple negative breast cancer is one of the main causes of high mortality in breast cancer patients due to poor prognosis. My project utilizes this gap and experiments pertaining to histological analysis of tumor samples and their immunological validation in B6 mouse model.

Jiani Yuan (advised by Dr. Yadong Wang)

This project aims to continue hydrogel fabrication improvement and further refine the hydrogel fabrication method to produce ECM hydrogel for goldfish brain.

James Jinyan Zhang (advised by Dr. Newton de Faria, Dr. Amy Kuceyeski)

In this design project, Krakencoder is applied to analyze dynamic functional connectivity extracted from fMRI data from almost 1,000 individuals. Using Krakencoder’s dimensionality reduction capabilities, I will generate low-dimensional latent space vectors that represent dFC for each subject. We will analyze this low-dimensional dFC representation and extract metrics like distance traveled in the latent space and develop predictive models based on these latent vectors and their metrics to predict an individual’s cognitive outcomes, age, and sex. The ability to predict these variables from dFC reflects potential underlying relationships between dynamic brain connectivity and behavior or demographics.

Xinyu Zhang (advised by Dr. Yadong Wang)

This project aims to prepare and characterize coacervate-filled lipid vesicles (LipCo) using protamine and chondroitin as core components, encapsulated with DOPC and DPPC. The work involves preparing solutions, forming coacervates, conducting lipid encapsulation, and performing microscopy analysis to assess encapsulation efficiency and particle size.

Lota Ruixuan Wang (advised by Dr. Shaoyi Jiang)

Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are predominantly treated with antibiotics and antifungals. However, the effectiveness of these treatments is diminishing due to the rise of drug-resistant pathogens. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are endogenous polypeptides that protect the host from pathogen infections. AMPs offer a new approach to treating BSIs and
addressing the problem of drug resistance, as they combat pathogens through mechanisms distinct from traditional antibiotics and antifungals. This research aims to develop a novel BSIs treatment by engineering extracellular vesicles (EVs) to work synergistically with AMPs.
Our laboratory has identified 10 AMP candidates from the literature. These include Buforin I, Buforin II, Chromogranin A N46, Defensin-NV, HNP-4, Indolicidin, LL-37, Magainin-1, Magainin-2, and SMAP-29. As part of this research course, students will evaluate the antibiotic and antifungal properties of these 10 AMPs. Specifically, they will assess microbial growth inhibition, determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), perform time-kill kinetics studies, and evaluate bacterial membrane permeability in response to AMP exposure.