Nanotechnology and Biosensors

Approximately one in four Americans are susceptible to developing chronic inflammatory response syndrome as a result of exposure to biotoxins [1]. These biotoxins are typically introduced into the body via food ingestion. In response to biotoxins, there is an upregulation of inflammatory signals that can potentially affect blood flow dynamics and the vascular endothelium. We propose to create anin vitromodel of engineered endothelium that mimics the in vivomicro environment to understand the vascular inflammation. We hypothesize that we can probe the underlying mechanisms of vascular inflammation and test novel detection strategies using modelin vitromicro systems. We will use 3D printing and soft lithography techniques to build our model. Tissue health or pathology will be assessed by measuring gene expression, cell viability, and quantify changes in tissue andcell morphology. We will also monitor blood flow dynamics to understand how food derived factors may influence blood-endothelium interactions. The goal of this study is to detect and understand how food derived factors induce inflammation. We assert that vascular inflammation can signal the presence of biotoxins and the presence of these inflammatory substances may alter endothelium-blood interactions which may lead to organ and tissue damage. This tool can also be used to provide valuable insight into the underlying mechanisms of vascular diseases. Berndtson, Keith. "CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE SYNDROME." (2013).