Jessica Shrestha

Jessica Shrestha

Biography

Jessica Shrestha is a senior at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), pursuing aB.S. in Polymer Science and Engineering with a double minor in Chemistry and Mathematics.Her research interests lie at the intersection of biomaterials and tissue regeneration. At USM, she has worked on the development of sprayable peptide-functionalized hydrogels for wound healing applications. Her honors thesis investigates how peptide, cell, and calcium concentrations influence gelation kinetics and mechanical properties. As an MSRP intern in Dr. Mercedes Balcells-Camps’ lab, Jessica is developing an in vitro chamber designed to support SERS (Surface-EnhancedRaman Spectroscopy) measurements on titanium biosensors. The chamber enables real-time, non-destructive, and multiplexed analysis of tissue-material interactions. Jessica hopes to pursue translational research that integrates materials science with clinical utility. After graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D., with the long-term goal of engineering responsive materials that interface with living tissue to sense, repair, or modulate biological function. Outside the lab, Jessica enjoys creative writing, traveling, crocheting, hiking, and running.

Abstract

Engineering a Reusable In Vitro Platform for Simulating Tissue Implant Interfaces in Biosensor Testing

Monitoring tissue-implant interactions is essential in improving implant performance and long-term integration. However, interrogating the complexity of these interactions remains difficult due to the lack of nondestructive means. Gold nanocolumn coated titanium was developed to address this by facilitating multiplexed, non-destructive sensing of tissue-material interactions with Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), with potential applications in smart biosensors and tissue engineering. SERS offers a non-invasive, label and dye free method to monitor biological processes at the material interfaces. However, existing in vitro setups limit the ability to perform inverted SERS measurements on clinically relevant surfaces. This project seeks to provide a solution by designing a reusable in-vitro chamber that enables inverted SERS analysis on titanium biosensors. The chamber is engineered to hold a 10 mm titanium disc, maintain sterility, and be compatible with confocal Raman microscopy platforms. It is made of laser-cut polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) layers sealed with cyanoacrylate and topped with a quartz glass window for optical access for Raman imaging. It was fabricated using a 120-watt CO2 laser cutter and tested for seal integrity and fit. Key design constraints included maintaining sterility, leak resistance, and modular assembly. Preliminary results indicate successful containment and optical transparency for Raman measurement. Future work will incorporate cell culture and Raman imaging within the chamber to study early biological responses at the implant interface.