Abstract
Chronic wounds represent a silent and growing epidemic, affecting approximately 2.5% of the U.S. population and significantly diminishing quality of life while contributing to over $25 billion in annual healthcare costs. Current treatments, such as direct growth factor delivery, are limited by high costs, rapid degradation, and an inability to replicate the complex environment necessary for effective healing, highlighting the need for more innovative and sustainable therapeutic strategies. However, it is equally important that these advancements are inclusive of all populations. Clinical trials often underrepresent minority groups, largely due to longstanding distrust in the medical system, which contributes to ongoing healthcare disparities. In my capstone project, I address the technical limitations of chronic wound therapies by optimizing a biomaterial scaffold to enhance exosome production and improve skin regeneration. At the same time, my STS research examines the systemic barriers that limit participation of underrepresented populations in clinical trials, focusing on how historical injustices continue to shape present-day inequities. Together, these projects address both the technical challenges of wound healing and the social factors that influence who ultimately benefits from biomedical innovation.
Chronic wounds present a major challenge in healthcare, affecting millions and creating significant physical, emotional, and financial burdens. Recent advances in regenerative medicine have identified exosomes, nanoscale extracellular vesicles involved in cell-to-cell communication, as promising therapeutic agents due to their ability to promote processes such as cell proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis. However, their therapeutic effectiveness depends heavily on both their production and the surrounding cellular microenvironment. Biomaterial scaffolds provide a way to modulate this environment and enhance exosome production, making them a valuable tool in wound healing applications. In this project, microporous annealed particle (MAP) scaffolds, an injectable hydrogel scaffold, were tuned by varying stiffness and particle size to influence cellular behavior and exosome secretion. A Design of Experiments (DOE) approach was used to systematically evaluate how these parameters impacted exosome production and predicted an optimized formulation. Results indicated that scaffold stiffness had a significant effect on exosome production, while particle size showed a comparatively minimal impact. Overall, this work identified key design parameters for optimizing MAP scaffolds to improve regenerative outcomes in chronic wound healing.
Medical research has produced some of the most important scientific advancements of the modern era, yet these benefits have not been distributed equally across populations. The STS project uses the case of HeLa cells to examine how systemic barriers, rooted in historical exploitation, institutional practices, and exclusionary discourse, continue to limit the participation of underrepresented groups in clinical trials. The nonconsensual extraction and widespread use of Henrietta Lacks’s cells contributed to lasting mistrust in the medical system, while also revealing gaps in patient protections and normalizing research practices that reduced patient agency. Using the lens of a paradigm shift, this work argues that a fundamental change in medical research practices is still needed. Persistent misconceptions and biases, such as false beliefs about pain tolerance in people of color, are reinforced by the continued underrepresentation of minority populations in clinical research, limiting the development of equitable medical knowledge. Overall, this project highlights the need for stronger regulations and more inclusive research practices to ensure that advancements in medicine benefit all populations.
Working on both my capstone and STS project at the same time gave me a much more complete view of biomedical engineering. My capstone focused on developing a more effective treatment, while my STS research made me think more about who actually benefits from these kinds of advancements. It showed me that even if a technology works well, it doesn’t matter as much if it isn’t accessible or inclusive. Overall, this experience helped me think about problems from both a technical and social perspective, and reinforced the importance of designing solutions that are not only effective but also equitable.
