Investigating the Impact of Flow Recirculation on Cellular Uptake of Nanoparticles

open_access
Open Access
Author:
Boland, Samuel Fares
Area of Honors:
Biomedical Engineering
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Peter J Butler, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Justin Lee Brown, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
nanoparticles
atherosclerosis
flow chamber
finite element analysis
drug delivery
fluid dynamics
cell mechanics
Abstract:
Atherosclerosis is a progressive cardiovascular disease that is the number one killer of people in the developed world. The pathology of atherosclerosis falls at the unique intersection of cellular mechanics, fluid mechanics, and mass transfer. The mechanical properties of cells in highly atherogenic regions of the vasculature are modified by the fluid dynamics, which in turn impacts mass transfer properties from the fluid to the cell. Ironically, the same mechanical and transport conditions that promote growth of atherosclerotic lesions may also provide an avenue for new treatment methods, chiefly the delivery of nanoparticles that might be loaded with drugs to treat atherosclerosis. In this thesis, this phenomenon is computationally and experimentally investigated. A novel flow chamber was manufactured to mirror the conditions of regions highly prone to atherosclerotic plaque. The cellular uptake of nanoparticles was quantified and compared to the uptake of nanoparticles by cells subject to conditions of aligned flow. Computational modeling of this phenomenon was used to drive the design of the flow chamber and support the hypothesis that flow recirculation has a profound impact on cellular uptake of nanoparticles.