 Met with Singaporeans!  Presented final proposal of collaboration to AOS staff  Finished Experimental Design › Turned in final and revised editions  Finished ISEF forms  Started updates to Background Research paper

 Biocompatible polymer  Biodegradable at a slow enough rate to allow increased cell growth and stability  Proven to have potential for scaffolds in relation to tissue regeneration › Has created scaffolds w/ ideal conditions  High porosities  Large amounts of surface areas

 Chitosan › Advantages  natural polymer, biocompatible and biodegradable  Cellular binding capabilities  Accelerates wound healing  Anti-bacterial properties

 Chitosan: › Disadvantages  high viscosity limits spinnability  Fibers can swell in aqueous solution- need to be cross linked to maintain structural qualities

 Alginate › Advantages  Good for health reasons (low toxicity, immunogenic)  Low cost › Disadvantages  Poor spinnability (possibly be fixed with addition of a synthetic polymer)

 Universal solvent- can be used for PCL, CHT, & Alg  Acetic Acid › Previous research for PCL & CHT › Alginate?  Another possibility: formic acid/acetone › If acetic acid doesn’t work

 Create control meshes of pure PCL › Mix solution  PCL & acetic acid › Electrospin  Starting parameters: 15 wt.% concentration, 20 cm from tip of syringe to collector plate, & 20 kV

 Vary voltage to create 9 meshes › 3 Voltages- 3 trials for each  20 kV  15 kV  25 kV  Examine pieces of meshes under scanning electron microscope (SEM)  Culture fibroblast cells onto other pieces of meshes

 Observing cells › Examine under TC inverted light microscope  Analyze cell growth › Conduct cell counts in cells per unit area (mm 2 ) › Means and standard deviations › ANOVA (Analysis of Variants) tests

 Create solutions of PCL and chitosan  Electrospin  Vary concentration of chitosan to PCL › 5% CHT › 15% CHT › 25% CHT  Total of 9 meshes (3 trials of each concentration)

 Analyze with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)  Culture fibroblast cells and seed into meshes created  Determine cell density  Analyze with means, standard deviations, and ANOVA tests

 Data obtained: › Fiber diameter and pore diameter of mesh › Cell density amounts  Analysis includes: › Means* › Standard Deviations* › ANOVA tests  3 comparisons *5-7 measurements/areas for these methods

 Pure PCL mesh vs. chitosan/PCL mesh  AOS & HCI › With pure PCL mesh: › AFM (atomic force microscope) vs. SEM › Fibroblast cells vs. Drosophila cells › pure PCL mesh vs. alginate/PCL mesh › Chitosan/PCL mesh vs. alginate/PCL mesh

 Basic Timeline › Includes any work either side does during each month  Background Research Paper  Experimental Design drafts  Any PowerPoint presentations  References › Links to all relevant journal articles either have found

 Finish last revision to ISEF forms  Finish the update on background research  Research more into alginate for potential universal solvent  Acquisition forms

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