Anand Ramasubramanian and John Lee

Jinann Alzaghari, 化学工程 and Luciana Aguirre Resinowski, ’20 Chemical 工程, perform a tensile test on a blood clot and subject it to uniaxial strain in order to study the biomechanics of blood.

Deciphering blood clots at engineering intersections

Cardiovascular disease is 一个 of the most common causes of death in the U.S., understanding the formation and dissolution of blood clots has major implications 治疗. A grant partnership between Professors Anand Ramasubramanian (Chemical 工程) and John Lee (Mechanical 工程) has resulted in collaborative research among mechanical, chemical and biomedical engineering 学生 and new discoveries in the field of clot biomechanics.  

“We have made some interesting and, we believe, important measurements on how various comp一个nts inside and outside the platelets embedded in the clot can provide the strength to oppose the forces due to blood flow,” explains Ramasubramanian. 

Work on this project is being performed exclusively by undergraduate and graduate 学生. They first designed and built a microextensometer, a device to apply micrometer scale displacements, measured the resistive force from the clots. 然后他们表演 advanced microscopy and quantified the distribution and nature of various clot comp一个nts, which likely influence the mechanical properties of the clot. 他们的结果可能最终 have a direct impact on the procedures and success of stroke treatment. 

Both professors are drawn to this area of research in part because answers lie at the intersection of different fields.

“The mechanics of blood clots and other biological tissues present intriguing challenges because things like strength, stiffness, ductility are governed by nature’s dynamic role in microscale and at the molecular level. This is very different from more common structural engineering problems that have known properties and more predictable behavior,” 说李.

“This project is providing our 学生 with the interdisciplinary skills they need to succeed whether they pursue further studies or become engineering professionals,” 添加Ramasubramanian. 

Suyog Jitendra Pathare, ’21 MS Biomedical 工程; Professor John Lee; Luciana Aguirre Resinowski, ’20 Chemical 工程; and Professor Anand Ramasubramanian

“No matter what future path I choose, I believe that my experiences at 菠菜网lol正规平台 are preparing me to succeed and make an impact on the scientific community.”

Jinann Alzaghari
化学工程

菠菜网lol正规平台 研究基金会 2020 年度报告