Colorado School of Mines

5 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Bioengineering

In vitro Cell Culture Model for Toxic Inhaled Chemical Testing

Shama Ahmad¹, Aftab Ahmad¹, Keith B. Neeves², Tara Hendry-Hofer¹, Joan E. Loader¹, Carl W. White¹, Livia Veress¹

¹Pediatric Airway Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, ²Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines

This protocol is designed to demonstrate exposure method of cell cultures to inhaled toxic chemicals. Exposure of differentiated air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures of airway epithelial cells provides a unique model of airway exposure to toxic gases such as chlorine. In this manuscript we describe effect of chlorine exposure on air-liquid interface cultures of epithelial cells and submerged culture of cardiomyocytes. In vitro exposure systems allow important mechanistic studies to evaluate pathways that could then be utilized to develop novel therapeutic agents.

Chemistry

Synthesis and Catalytic Performance of Gold Intercalated in the Walls of Mesoporous Silica

Yazhou Ji¹, Christopher Caskey¹, Ryan M. Richards¹

¹Department of Chemistry and Geochemistry, Colorado School of Mines

Here, we present a protocol with a sol-gel process to synthesize gold intercalated in the walls of mesoporous materials (GMS), which is confirmed to possess a mesoporous matrix with gold intercalated in the walls imparting great stability and recyclability.

Environment

Exploring the Effects of Atmospheric Forcings on Evaporation: Experimental Integration of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Shallow Subsurface

Kathleen Smits¹, Victoria Eagen¹, Andrew Trautz¹

¹Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines

A protocol for the design and construction of a soil tank interfaced to a small climate controlled wind tunnel to study the effects of atmospheric forcings on evaporation is presented. Both the soil tank and wind tunnel are instrumented with sensor technologies for the continuous in situ measurement of environmental conditions.

Medicine

A Rat Tibial Growth Plate Injury Model to Characterize Repair Mechanisms and Evaluate Growth Plate Regeneration Strategies

Christopher B. Erickson¹, Nichole Shaw², Nancy Hadley-Miller², Michael S. Riederer³, Melissa D. Krebs³, Karin A. Payne⁴

¹Department of Bioengineering, Department of Orthopedics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, ²Department of Orthopedics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, ³Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, ⁴Department of Orthopedics, Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

The growth plate is a cartilaginous region in children's long bones where longitudinal growth occurs. When injured, bony tissue can form and impair growth. We describe a rat model of growth plate injury that leads to bony repair tissue, allowing the study of repair mechanisms and growth plate regeneration strategies.

Bioengineering

Fabrication of Size-Controlled and Emulsion-Free Chitosan-Genipin Microgels for Tissue Engineering Applications

Michael A. Stager¹, Christopher B. Erickson², Karin A. Payne², Melissa D. Krebs¹

¹Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, ²Department of Orthopedics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

The present protocol describes a non-emulsion-based method for the fabrication of chitosan-genipin microgels. The size of these microgels can be precisely controlled, and they can display pH-dependent swelling, degrade in vivo, and be loaded with therapeutic molecules that release over time in a sustained manner, making them highly relevant for tissue engineering applications.