Study of Porosity of Gelatin-Alginate Hydrogels to Model Brain Matter for Studying Traumatic Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) affect brain tissue and neuronal signaling, leading to many side effects including death. Research on TBIs is limited by the lack of accurate brain matter models to study the physiological and cellular reaction. Alginate-gelatin hydrogels have been designed and modified to mimic the mechanical properties of the brain to act as an accurate in vitro model. This Honors thesis aims to verify the porous microstructure of gelatin-alginate hydrogels through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to understand how gelatin and alginate affect the microstructure. I measured the pore sizes of each hydrogel using ImageJ, compared the average pore size between concentrations, and determined the effect gelatin and alginate have on the diameter. The results of this thesis can be utilized by future researchers to better understand alginate/gelatin hydrogels, and the effects of alginate and gelatin concentration on the ability to encapsulate cells. This can pave the way for cell implantation in the hydrogels to study the cellular response of the brain when subjected to forces comparable to those caused by traumatic brain injuries