Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering University of Arizona 1/21/2016 Microstructural Analysis of Soft Tissues Amanda E. Eskinazi Mentor: Dr. Jonathan Vande Geest

2 Outline Project goals Introduction to SALS Device Data Analysis Results Future Work

3 Soft Tissue Biomechanics Mechanical function of an organ is related to its mechanical behavior Changes occur in the mechanical properties with age and disease stress strain

4 Project Goals Establish a link between mechanical function and microstructure of soft tissues. Develop laboratory protocols and data analysis tools for use of the SALS device. Validate tools using tissue of known fiber configuration.

5 The SALS Device Components –HeNe Laser –x-z motor driven actuators –camera Data Acquisition –Automated system using LabVIEW

6 Data Acquisition HeNe Laser (632 nm, 5mW) CCD Camera Sample Holder 2-Axis Sample Positioner Spatial Filter Beam Expander Ground Glass Screen

7 Data Analysis Data analysis software was developed using MATLAB. Collagen Angle (θ): 90 degrees offset from angle of highest intensity Orientation Index (OI): measure of image’s ‘eccentricity’ on a scale from 0 to 1 hi OI: low OI: θ = OI= θ = OI= (θ – 90)

8 Results

9 Results

10 Future Work Build mathematical models using the microstructural data Use these in finite element models of tissue function –Atherosclerosis –Aneurysm –Glaucoma –Tissue engineering

11 Questions/Comments