Brissa's Project Page

Who:  I am from Tooele, Utah. A major part of why I chose the U was to participate in the ACCESS program. When I have free time, I like to play sports, be  outdoors, and go on adventures with my friends.

My scientific/engineering interests:  I really enjoy breaking things down into their base components and learning how they work. It is so amazing to me that you can design something using just math and physics equations, then when you finally assemble it, everything comes together seamlessly. My entire life, I have been trying to find new ways to use old things.

Academic goals:  I am studying mechanical engineering for my undergraduate degree. I like to patch things together until they are able to function in entirely new ways, and mechanical engineering allows me to do just that. I have loved being in my ACCESS lab and I would love to continue working on this project.

Career goals:  In my future, I want to be solving problems and creating exciting new things. My goal is to do something that I love everyday. I enjoy a challenge, especially ones that work towards making everyone's lives easier.

Novel thermosensitive biopolymers are a fairly new discovery with countless applications in the medical field, but in order for them to function properly chemical crosslinking must be triggered inside the body. The biopolymer consists of liposomes that must be heated in order to break open and undergo an enzymatic reaction, resulting in a solidified gel-like substance. This depends upon being able to produce concentrated heating to solidify the biopolymer without producing significant tissue damage in the surrounding area. A coaxial antenna acting as a focused heating element is a good choice for this application, being small enough to be inserted into the body and capable of heating the biopolymer to the required temperature without damaging the surrounding tissue.

There are several applications of this technology. Next-generation miniaturized medical implants such as pacemakers require novel antenna designs that can provide a necessary minimally invasive communication link. The biopolymer may be used to construct conductive, flexible implanted antennas that provide this needed communication. In drug delivery systems, the biopolymer may be used to encapsulate a drug and provide a controlled delivery of medication directly to a desired site. Finally, the biopolymer has the potential to provide needed structural support to breast tissue in order to prevent potential postoperative complications such as breast atrophy or edema. 

This research project will take that proposed method one step closer to fruition by designing a coaxial heating probe, building, and testing it. This technology will be revolutionary, because it will modernize current medical devices making them less invasive, quicker, easier, and less expensive.

Building a Lens in the Body with Thermally-Crosslinked Biopolymers Download Building a Lens in the Body with Thermally-Crosslinked Biopolymers