Date Approved

6-30-2025

Embargo Period

6-30-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S. Biomedical Engineering

Department

Biomedical Engineering

College

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering

Advisor

Peter A. Galie, Ph.D.

Committee Member 1

Patrick Hwang, Ph.D.

Committee Member 2

Grace Chen, Ph.D.

Keywords

Bioprinting;Blood–brain barrier (BBB);Decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM);Microfluidic devices;PDMS microfluidics;Spinal cord-derived ECM

Abstract

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) regulates transport between the vasculature and central nervous system but limits therapeutic delivery. In vitro BBB models are essential for studying barrier function, disease mechanisms, and drug transport, yet traditional systems often lack biological relevance. This thesis aimed to improve model fidelity and scalability by refining a PDMS-based microfluidic fabrication protocol and developing a spinal cord-derived decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) bioink for bioprinting applications. A multi-step protocol was optimized to decellularize bovine spinal cord tissue, followed by enzymatic digestion to generate a printable dECM solution. UV–Vis spectroscopy confirmed protein retention, and DNA quantification revealed residual nucleic acids above the 50 ng/mg threshold, indicating room for improvement. Despite this, the approach offers a biologically relevant, scalable alternative to PDMS models and lays the groundwork for future integration with light-based bioprinting.

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