Graduate Defense: Lynn Karriem

Thesis Information

Title:  Structure-Property-Processing Analysis of Graphene Bioscaffolds for Viability and Differentiation of C2C12 cells

Program: Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering

Advisor: Dr. David Estrada, Materials Science and Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering

Committee Members: Dr. Julia Oxford, Biological Sciences, and Dr. Amy Moll, Materials Science and Engineering

Abstract

Graphene – an atomically thin layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice – has gained interest as a bioscaffold for Tissue Engineering due to its exceptional mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. Graphene’s structure and properties, which are tightly coupled to synthesis and processing conditions, are thought to influence biomolecular interactions at the graphene-cell interfaces. In our study, C2C12 cells, a pluripotent mouse myoblast cell line, are grown on graphene bioscaffolds with specific structure – property – processing – performance (SP3) correlations. We found that such SP3 correlations significantly influenced C2C12 differentiation, myotube formation, and gene expression which suggest that the graphene-cell interface can be engineered to control biomolecule structure and function in adherent cells. The experiments performed are the first to make a direct comparison on scaffold SP3 correlations and their impact on the genetic expression of the pluripotent myoblast cells.