Over 800,000 patients in the U.S. have undergone shoulder arthroplasty for a variety of medical conditions. Implant design has been affected by the rapid and popular trends of minimally-invasive surgeries. Traditional or “anatomical” shoulder replacement involves replacing the ball of the humeral bone with a metal or ceramic ball. A plastic socket takes the place of the glenoid cavity within the scapula. In a reverse shoulder replacement, the ball and socket are essentially switched.

We designed and built a catheter angle measuring device for Biosense Webster. Physicians often use cardiac catheters as a tool in heart surgeries to diagnose and treat patients with heart diseases. The need for more precise rotation in heart procedures is on the rise as the number of surgeries using cardiac catheters increases. This demands that we improve on current catheter models by increasing the accuracy and control physicians have during operations.

The Tracheal-bronchial Reflux Diagnostic System is a medical device intended to aid in the diagnosis of patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Patients with chronic GERD can experience severe repetitive acid reflux resulting in chronic cough and damage to the lungs. By integrating a pepsin-specific degrading polymer with a sensor, we can implant the device in the airway to measure the changes in resistance of the polymer and quantify the amount of pepsin present in the airway.

Glioblastomas are a subset of gliomas, one of the most common types of primary brain tumors and the most difficult to treat. The American Cancer Society reports that the survival rate of malignant glioblastomas ranges from 6-22%, depending on age. Currently, the most common form of treatment is surgical tumor removal followed by radiation therapy. Magnetic resonance images (MRIs) are taken within the first three days after surgery and used as a guide for radiation therapy. However, radiation therapy is not initiated until 4-5 weeks post-surgery.

Autism is a neurological disorder that affects about 1 in 44 children in the U.S. alone. It is characterized by delayed social communication and interaction skills and repetitive behaviors. Known as “stimming,” these repetitive behaviors can help children with autism cope with stress.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a gram-negative, non-sporeforming, rod-shaped, facultative anaerobic bacteria. Its ease of manipulation, fast doubling time of 15-20 minutes, and well-understood genetic system contribute to a long history of E. coli use in biotechnology and laboratory research. As a result, it is used extensively in industry for widescale production of antibiotics, medicines, vaccines, pesticides, solvents and fuel.