Designing a Focused Ultrasound Crosslinkable Granular Hydrogel Scaffold for Chemotherapeutic Drug Delivery; Avoidable Demise: Uncovering the Phases of Care Ethics in Sickle Cell Death 5 views

In my technical project my team and I reviewed our design of a granular hydrogel scaffold that offers both tissue regeneration and minimally invasive delivery of a chemotherapeutic drug to cancer patients as an alternative to skin grafts following traditional tumor resection surgery. To get a better understanding of how patients may be improperly cared for in a hospital environment, my STS research examines the death of Sickle Cell Disease patient, Evan Smith, at North Middlesex University Hospital (North Mid) through utilization of the care ethics framework. The scaffold used in my technical report is a focused ultrasound (FUS) crosslinkable granular hydrogel system composed of densely packed microgels that encapsulate chemotherapeutic drugs, and nanofibers that stabilize the surrounding environment. Due to its flexibility and injectable nature, this scaffold can conform to irregular shapes and spaces, effectively filling out tumor cavities with less need for permanent components such as tissue grafts. The scaffold crosslinks (gels) from exposure to FUS, which involves the application of non-invasive, focused beams of ultrasound waves to the aqueous gel solution. To utilize this device in tumor patients, an aqueous hydrogel solution will be injected subcutaneously into the surrounding tumor environment, which will then be exposed to FUS. Once crosslinked, the hydrogel will continuously release a chemotherapeutic drug into the tissue environment. In my STS paper, I argued that the North Mid care team acted unethically in its treatment for Evan Smith according to three phases of the care ethics framework: caring about, caring for, and caregiving, whose respective moral dimensions are attentiveness, responsibility, and competence. For each phase, I outline how the North Mid care team failed in its treatment for Evan and thus relate this to the shortcoming of each moral dimension. Through this analysis, readers will be able to define what it means for a care team to offer ethical care and additionally be able to identify unethical behavior in patient treatment. The knowledge I gained throughout my work on both my Technical and STS research papers is something I hope to cherish for the rest of my time in academia. Troubleshooting the hydrogel scaffold device allowed me to culminate all the skills I had gained during my undergraduate courses. However, it also allowed me to understand how technologies used in the biomedical sphere may impact patients through improper usage. This then led me to research ways in which medical providers often mistreat patients through the use of technologies that fail to account for patient differences. I knew I could generate an idea for my STS research paper through these curiosities; however, it took me a while to find a framework that fit several of the cases I had researched. It wasn’t until I learned about the care ethics framework that I began to apply its principles to the case of Evan Smith. Becoming well versed in these principles will allow me to account for patient care as I continue to pursue biomedical research throughout my graduate degree.

BS (Bachelor of Science)

Hydrogel; FEMP; Focused Ultrasound; NorHA

School of Engineering and Applied Science Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering Technical Advisor: Chris Highley, Matthew DeWitt STS Advisor: Benjamin Laugelli Technical Team Members: Estelle He

English

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2026-05-06