Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is a private university located in&nbsp;Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 1984, as Vellore Engineering College, the institution offers 20 undergraduate, 34 postgraduate, four integrated and four research programs. It has campuses in Vellore, Amravati, Bhopal and Chennai.

VIT is one of the top ranked private universities in India according to NIRF, THE and QS Rankings.&nbsp;Govt. of India has recognized&nbsp;VIT, Vellore as an&nbsp;Institution of Eminence. This has allowed VIT to take independent quality initiatives and move up in world ranking.

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VIT University

Centre for Biomaterials, Cellular and Molecular Theranostics

Vellore Campus

Electronics

School of Electronics Engineering

Chennai Campus

Department of Manufacturing Engineering

School of Mechanical Engineering

Mechanics of Advanced Materials and Structures

Investigation of the mechanical behavior and vibration characteristics of thin walled glass/carbon hybrid composite beams under a fixed-free boundary condition

Scaffolds form an integral part of tissue engineering applications. Amniotic membrane has been implicated in an extensive range of clinical usages. Although decellularized human amniotic membrane has been used in several tissue engineering applications, there is limited data on the biomechanical characteristics of amniotic membrane scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. The main goal of this study is to investigate various distinctive features of human amniotic membrane scaffold and present a comparative evaluation of this natural scaffold to synthetic (PLGA) as well hybrid hydrogel scaffolds, to gain a broader perspective on these scaffolds. In this study, we have fabricated synthetic PLGA, hybrid hydrogel scaffolds. Also, prepared decellularized human amniotic membrane then compared the mechanical, physical and biological characteristics of natural decellularized full-term amniotic membrane scaffold (AM), hybrid hydrogels consisting polyacrylamidealginate scaffold (HP) and synthetic PLGA scaffolds respectively (N = 3). The useful mechanical categorization data suggests AM and PLGA possessed better mechanical properties than HP hydrogels. The ultimate tensile strengths of AM and PLGA were comparable. The young’s modulus and stiffness of PLGA were relatively greater than AM. On the contrary, AM had a better modulus of toughness than PLGA. The study of physical properties indicated that AM exhibited lesser swelling compared to PLGA or HP. In term of elasticity, AM managed better elasticity than PLGA. However, the AM had lower elasticity compared to hybrid hydrogels. The density of AM was very less compared to synthetic PLGA or hybrid hydrogel scaffolds. Further, we observed the rate of biodegradation of AM was higher in comparison to the synthetic PLGA or hybrid hydrogel HP polymers. Taking account of the ease of availability, the range of applications and intrinsic distinguishing features of AM, it should be an ideal scaffold for regenerative medical applications. © 2016 American Scientific Publishers.

VIT Unitversity

Journal of Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

Decellularized Amniotic Membrane Scaffold Compared to Synthetic PLGA and Hybrid Scaffolds Exhibit Superlative Biomechanical Properties for Tissue Engineering Applications

Surgical sutures are used to facilitate closure and healing of surgical- or trauma-induced wounds by upholding tissues together to facilitate healing process. There is a wide range of suture materials for medical purpose and the main types include absorbable and nonabsorbable. Recently, there is a growth in the development of classes of suture materials based on their properties and capabilities to improve tissue approximation and wound closure. This review outlines and discusses the current and emerging trends in suture technology including knotless barbed sutures, antimicrobial sutures, bio-active sutures such as drug-eluting and stem cells seeded sutures, and smart sutures including elastic, and electronic sutures. These newer strategies expand the versatility of sutures from being used as just a physical entity approximating opposing tissues to a more biologically active component enabling delivery of drugs and cells to the desired site with immense application potential in both therapeutics and diagnostics. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

World University root node

Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A

Suture materials - Current and emerging trends

Wound healing, a complex biological process, has attained a lot of attention as dermatologists are primarily interested in stimulated wound closure without formation of scar or a faint scar. The recent upsurgence of nanotechnology has provided novel therapeutic materials in the form of silver and gold nanoparticles which accelerate the wound healing process. The effect of formulated nanoparticles using Coleus forskohlii root extract (green synthesized) has been tried out for ameliorating full thickness excision wounds in albino Wistar male rats. The evaluation of in vivo activity of nanoparticles in wound healing was carried out on open wounds made by excision on the dorsal sides of albino Wistar rats under anesthesia, and the healing of the wounds was assessed. Histological aspects of the healing process were studied by a HE (Hematoxylin and Eosin) staining method to assess various degrees of re-epithelialization and the linear alignment of the granulation tissue whereas Van Gieson's histochemical staining was performed to observe collagen fibers. The healing action shown by the formulated nanoparticles was remarkable during the early stages of wound healing, which resulted in the substantial reduction of the whole healing period. Topical application of formulated gold nanoparticles was found to be more effective in suppressing inflammation and stimulating re-epithelialization compared to silver nanoparticles during the healing process. The results throw light on the amelioration of excision wounds using nanoparticles which could be a novel therapeutic way of improving wound healing in clinical practice. The mechanism of advanced healing action of both types of nanoparticles could be due to their antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Materials Science and Engineering: C

Amelioration of excision wounds by topical application of green synthesized, formulated silver and gold nanoparticles in albino Wistar rats

Evaluation of molecular pathology markers using a computer-aided quantitative assessment framework would help to assess the altered states of cellular proliferation, hypoxia, and neoangiogenesis in oral submucous fibrosis and could improve diagnostic interpretation in gauging its malignant potentiality.Immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of c-Myc, hypoxia-inducible factor-1-alpha (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGFRII, and CD105 were evaluated in 58 biopsies of oral submucous fibrosis using computer-aided quantification. After digital stain separation of original chromogenic IHC images, quantification of the diaminobenzidine (DAB) reaction pattern was performed based on intensity and extent of cytoplasmic, nuclear, and stromal expression.Assessment of molecular expression proposed that c-Myc and HIF-1α may be used as strong screening markers, VEGF for risk-stratification and VEGFRII and CD105 for prognosis of precancer into oral cancer.Our analysis indicated that the proposed method can help in establishing IHC as an effective quantitative immunoassay for molecular pathology and alleviate diagnostic ambiguities in the clinical decision process.

Head & Neck

Computer-aided molecular pathology interpretation in exploring prospective markers for oral submucous fibrosis progression

Intra-articular Drug delivery systems (IA-DDS) deliver the drug directly to the diseased joint space with significantly lowered systemic toxicities. In this work, we explored Etoricoxib (COX-2 inhibitor)-loaded Poly caprolactone (PCL) microparticles (MPs) as a potential IA-DDS. MPs were prepared by Oil/Water (O/W) emulsion-solvent evaporation method. Formulation parameters like polymer to drug ratio, stabilizer concentration were optimized to get the maximum encapsulation efficiency. The prepared particles were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction studies (XRD), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The particles were found to be spherical and smooth-surfaced using SEM. FTIR studies proved that there was no chemical interaction between the drug and the polymer. XRD and DSC studies confirmed that Etoricoxib existed in its amorphous form while PCL had retained its semi-crystalline phase during the micro-encapsulation process. In vitro drug release studies proved that there was controlled release of the drug from the MPs for nearly 28 days. In vivo synovial drug clearance studies on SD rats proved that drug leach out rate from the joint region to the systemic circulation was slow which indicated that MPs had a good drug retention capacity. In vivo fluorescence imaging results confirmed that MPs could stay longer in the joint region for almost a month. Thus, PCL microparticles could be a potential IA-DDS for the treatment of the diseased joint regions especially for Osteoarthritis. © 2016 Taylor and Francis.

Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition

Synthesis, characterizations, in vitro and in vivo evaluation of Etoricoxib-loaded Poly (Caprolactone) microparticles-a potential Intra-articular drug delivery system for the treatment of Osteoarthritis

The main aim of this work is to design a heat triggered transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) using a thermoresponsive polymer, poly (N-vinyl caprolactam) [PNVCL] based gel, where in patients can themselves administer a pulse of drug on mere application of heat pad over the TDDS, whenever pain is experienced. The phase transition temperature of PNVCL was tuned to 35°C by grafting it onto a pH sensitive biopolymer, Chitosan, to synthesize Chitosan-g-PNVCL (CP) co-polymer which render the gel both thermo- and pH-responsive property. The application of triggered delivery was explored by loading acetamidophenol (a model hydrophilic drug) and etoricoxib (a model hydrophobic drug). In vitro drug release experiments were performed at three different temperatures (25, 32 and 39°C) at two different pH (5.5 and 7) to study its drug release with response to temperature and pH. Drug release profiles obtained were found to have enhanced release for both the drugs respectively at 39°C (above LCST) and pH 5.5 when compared to other release conditions. In vitro skin permeation of both the drugs performed in rat abdominal skin using Franz diffusion cell showed enhanced drug release when the skin was subjected to higher temperature (39°C). Moreover, it was also found that skin permeation for hydrophobic drug was better than that of hydrophilic drug. The in vivo biocompatibility studies of the CP gel in rat skin proved that the gel is biocompatible. The results obtained demonstrated the potential use of the thermoresponsive CP gel as an on-demand localized drug delivery system. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Materials Science and Engineering C

Thermoresponsive polymeric gel as an on-demand transdermal drug delivery system for pain management

There are several well-known books on the market that cover biomaterials in a general way, but none provide adequate focus on the future of and potential for actual uses of emerging nanontechnology in this burgeoning field. Biomaterials: A Nano Approach is written from a multi-disciplinary point of view that integrates aspects of materials science and engineering, nanotechnology, bioengineering, and biosciences. The book fills a glaring void in the literature by providing a comprehensive discussion of biomaterials and a scientifically plausible extrapolation of likely scenarios in which nanotechnology could play a significant role. The authors introduce and examine basic concepts, processing methodologies, and techniques involved in the preparation and characterization of nanobiomaterials that are specific to biomedical applications. A Self-Contained Book Illustrating Past, Present, and Future Trends in Biomaterials Spanning from the historical development of biomaterials to cutting-edge advances in the field, the text describes how basic concepts in nanotechnology are applied to the processing of novel nanobiomaterials, including nanostructured metals and alloys. With its illustrative examples and presentation of applications, this text offers a solid framework for understanding present and future trends of biomaterials in human healthcare systems. It is an ideal companion resource for students, researchers, and industrial scientists who specialize in biomaterials and nanobiomaterials. © 2010 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Biomaterials: A Nano Approach

Biomaterials: A nano approach

Lennox-Gas taut Syndrome (LGS) is commonly characterized by a triad of features including multiple seizure types, intellectual disability or regression. The long-term prognosis for LGS is generally poor due to uncontrolled seizures. LGS type of seizures is epilepsy which is due to abnormal vibrations occurring in seizures. During the time of such abnormal vibrations, both the seizures and the lungs suffer a lack in oxygen content to a considerable extent. These results in prolonged vibrations and loses of nervous control. As a neuro-lung protective strategy, a novel attempt has been made to enrich both seizures and lungs with oxygen content through the support of perfluorodecalin (an excellent oxygen carrier) C10F18(PFD) along with an enhancement in the antiepileptic activity by the two chosen antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) Carbamazepine (CBZ) and Benzodiazepine (BDZ). Emulsions of Perfluorodecalin (PFD) were prepared by sonication process with combination of nonionic emulsifier, Lecithin (L-α-phosphatidylcholine) as a surfactant in aqueous phase medium. These emulsions were mixed with Carbamazepine (CBZ) and Benzodiazepine (BDZ) drugs maintained at a temperature of about −20 ºC to 20 ºC and were set to slow evaporation process. The samples were subjected to Optical microscope, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)-EDS. The study reveals the co-existence of Fluorine and Drug ensuring the Oxygen enrichment. Morphology of TEM, Optical microscopic images and the particle diameter estimated through Image_J confirms this analysis. © 2016 American Scientific Publishers. All rights reserved.