Alec McCall
Biomedical engineering
Hometown: Oro Valley, Arizona, United States
Graduation date: Spring 2021
FURI | Fall 2020
Reproducibility and Extraction of Complex Hydrogel Geometry Fabrication in 3D Printed Injection Molds
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the destruction of pancreatic islet cells which results in patients no longer generating their own insulin. Islet cell transplantation via macroencapsulation is a potential therapy to treat type I diabetes in the absence of chronic systemic immunosuppression. The Weaver lab uses synthetic hydrogels to fabricate macroencapsulation devices and needs to develop a method to generate complex 3D hydrogel geometries by injection molding. The goal is to design and fabricate injection molding devices that can be easily translated to the clinic as a long-term treatment for type 1 diabetics.
Mentor: Jessica Weaver