<p> Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the largest epidemic in the world causing 800,000 annual deaths in the U.S alone and 15 million deaths worldwide. After a myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, the cells around the infarct area get deprived of oxygen and die resulting in scar tissue formation and subsequent arrhythmic beating of the heart. Due to the inability of cardiomyocytes to differentiate, the chances of recurrence of an infarction are tremendous. Research has shown that recurrence lead to death within 2 years in 10% of the cases and within 10 years in 50% of the cases. Therefore, an external structure is needed to support cardiomyocyte growth and bring the heart back to proper functioning. Current research shows that composite materials coupled with nanotechnology, a material where one of its dimension is less than or equal to 100nm, has very high potential in becoming a successful alternative treatment for end stage heart failure. The main goal of this research is to develop a composite material that will act as a scaffold to help externally cultured cardiomyocytes grow in the infarct area of the heart. The composite will consist of a poly-lactic co glycolic acid (PLGA) matrix, reinforced with carbon nanotubes. Prior research has been conducted with this same composite, however the significance of the composite developed in this research is that the nanotubes will be aligned with the help of an electro-magnetic field. This alignment is proposed to promote mechanical strength and significantly enhance proliferation and adhesion of the cardiomyocytes.</p><p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10840053 |
| Date | 16 November 2018 |
| Creators | Shirolkar, Ajay |
| Publisher | California State University, Long Beach |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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