Session: ASME Undergraduate Student Design Expo

Paper Number: 176093

Using the Coefficient of Restitution to Determine the Severity of Neuron/glial Cell Damage 

Human neuroblastoma cell lines (e.g., SH-SY5Y) are widely used as neuronal surrogates because they differentiate into neuron-like cells that exhibit major elements of neuron cells, such as axons, dendrites, and soma. This makes them extremely valuable for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) research because they enable controlled experiments on how mechanical insults, such as impact load, affect neuronal survival, cytoskeletal integrity, and signaling pathways central to traumatic brain injury pathology. Yet, a specific correlation between collision and neuroblastoma cell death is a relatively unexplored topic. This present study experimentally tested and determined the extent to which collision-based injuries affected the lifespan of neuroblastoma and glial cells. In the initial stage of this project, Aguilus30, a polyjet rubber-like substance, was analyzed and used to produce three identically shaped 3D-printed materials, all with varying hardness. These artificial samples were hit with a drop tower at a height of 14 cm to simulate an impact scenario relevant to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and analyzed with high-speed cameras at the site of collision. The coefficient of restitution, velocity, and acceleration of the drop tower were all recorded for future use. The aspect of “coefficient of restitution” as a dependent variable served as a control to the first stage of the project, as ample evidence was collected to believe that a lower coefficient of restitution resulted in higher damage due to deformation and loss of kinetic energy. With this concept in mind, neuroblastoma (SHSY5) cells were subcultured for 1-2 weeks, imaged before any collision, and then subjected to a drop tower impact through petri dishes at the same height of 14 cm. They were then photographed repeatedly under fluorescence imaging every 30 minutes after the collision. Our study revealed that the relationship between this specific neural cell death and collision was relatively low. This was determined by image analysis and coefficient of restitution calculations done with both qualitative and quantitative methods. Using ImageJ as an analysis software, it was deduced that the smaller clusters of neuroblastoma cells were most affected, with the larger SHSY5 cell clusters remaining intact. This experiment is part of a further study to determine which type of 3D-printed material causes the least damage to brain cells when subjected to a large force. The results extracted from this data are crucial in the later  development of protective materials that can combat fatal injuries from forceful impact, contributing to the future of biomedical engineering and sciences.

Presenting Author: Sahar Chowdhury The University of Texas at Arlington

Presenting Author Biography: 2025 Highschool Summer Intern at the University of Texas at Arlington (Multiscale Mechanics and Physics Lab). 3 years of lab experience and 2nd year of neuroblastoma research.

Authors:

Sahar Chowdhury The University of Texas at Arlington
Raisa Akhtaruzmman The University of Texas at Arlington
Sumaya Sharmin The University of Texas at Arlington
Ashfaq Adnan The University of Texas at Arlington