Date of Award
5-2012
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Legacy Department
Bioengineering
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dean, Delphine
Committee Member
Nagatomi , Jiro
Committee Member
Webb , Ken
Abstract
ABSTRACT
We will review the conversion of a standard thermal inkjet printer into a bioprinting system and the effects of printing F-actin monomers with cells. The use of any printing system along with biological material or for biological or medical use has been termed bioprinting. Bioprinting has been used in vascular grafts, scaffold design, gene transfection, micro patterning and many other applications and is very diverse. Specifically we will look at the internalization of F-actin monomers into 3T3 fibroblasts as a result of cell membrane disruption from thermal inkjet printing. If the actin monomers were internalized and then incorporated into the cytoskeleton, further investigation of cytoskeleton organization, construction and response to mechanical loading from atomic for microscopy could be conducted.
First, a bioprinter had to be modified from a standard printer. An HP Deskjet 500C and an HP Deskjet 500 were used. The only difference is that the HP Deskjet 500C is a color printer and has a different type of cartridge. Both the printers themselves and the ink cartridges that accompanied them had to be modified to accommodate cells and F-actin monomer solution. The printer and cartridges were customized for the application of printing cells. A proof of concept was performed first to see if the converted HP Deskjet 500 could indeed print viable cells without any marked decrease in viability and function.
After finding that the cells that were being printed were not only viable, but also continued to grow until confluence it was decided to print the cells along with the fluorescently tagged F-actin monomers to see if monomers could be internalized by the printed cells. Fluorescence microscopy of the confirmed that the monomers could be internalized by the cell before the damage to the cell membrane could be repaired.
Recommended Citation
Shuford, Stephen, "INTERNALIZATION OF F-ACTIN MONOMERS INTO 3T3 FIBROBLASTS VIA THERMAL INKJET PRINTING FOR INVESTIGATION OF CYTOSKELETON INCORPORATION AND MECHANICS" (2012). All Theses. 1407.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/1407