Developing a Biosensor to Monitor Glioblastoma

Implantable biosensors allow for continuous, real-time measuring of analyte concentrations and therefore show promise in monitoring the treatment of glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Here, a biosensor system is presented as a glassy carbon electrode coated with lactate oxidase immobilized in a polypyrrole film. A prototype of the system was validated through benchtop and in vitro testing. The data showed that the system is sensitive in the physiological range and is over 94% accurate in real-time detection of subtle concentration changes of lactate produced from only 250,000 cells. This shows an improvement over current monitoring methods, which need differences on the magnitude of millions of cells in order to accurately detect tumor response

Prosthetic End-­User Usability Survey

This study aimed to identify the most difficult aspect of wearing a prosthetic device by conducting a survey. The survey was targeted to amputees who frequent online support groups and social forums for amputees. Analysis of the data showed that the most concerning aspect of wearing a prosthesis is the development of skin conditions, ranging from redness, swelling, blisters and foul smell, to fungal infections, open sores and tum or cysts. An engineering solution was proposed to eliminate this problem. The solution focused on improving the material of the liner using chemical modifications to increase the atomic bond strength