BME PhD Preliminary Exam Announcement for Ankit Shah (H. Lee, advisor)

Everyone is invited to attend the public presentation beginning at 1:00pm.

Research title: A Height-Compensated Rotary Printing Platform for Smart Catheter Fabrication with Multifunctional Sensor Integration

Date: May 22, 2025

Time: 1:00pm

Location: MJIS 2001 and Zoom

Zoom Link: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/96656112206

Topic: Ankit Shah's Prelim

Time: May 22, 2025 01:00 PM Indiana (East)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/96656112206

Meeting ID: 966 5611 2206

Thesis Committee: Dr. Hyowon Lee (Chair), Dr. Chi Hwan Lee, Dr. Young Kim, Dr. Wenzhuo Wu

Abstract: 

Catheters are essential tools in minimally invasive medicine, supporting over 5 million procedures annually in the United States across cardiology, neurology, urology, and oncology. Yet, despite their widespread use, most catheters remain passive conduits—lacking the ability to sense, actuate, or communicate. This fundamental limitation hampers real-time physiological monitoring, impedes precise therapy delivery, and precludes secure device traceability. In procedures such as thermal ablation and balloon angioplasty, reliance on external estimates rather than direct sensing increases the risk of tissue injury, incomplete treatment, or device malfunction. Additionally, the lack of embedded identifiers exacerbates concerns around counterfeiting and untraceable devices—an issue flagged by the World Health Organization. To address these challenges, we introduce a closed-loop rotary direct ink writing (DIW) platform capable of printing multifunctional electronics directly onto flexible, cylindrical catheter surfaces. The system integrates rotational and linear motion with real-time confocal height sensing and PID-controlled Z-axis adjustment, enabling high-resolution, conformal deposition of functional inks without adhesives or intermediate transfer steps. Using this platform, we fabricate and validate strain sensors for mechanical deformation monitoring, temperature sensors for localized thermal feedback, microheaters for controlled therapeutic heating, and chipless RFID tags for passive wireless identification via frequency-coded resonators. We also propose programmable magnetic actuation using printed magnetorheological elastomer composites for steerable catheter navigation. All components are rigorously tested under physiologically relevant conditions—bending, inflation, heating—demonstrating robust mechanical integrity and electrical performance. Machine learning algorithms decode RFID signatures, which are securely logged on a blockchain framework to enable tamper-proof device tracking. Collectively, this work presents a scalable, digitally programmable manufacturing strategy for transforming conventional catheters into intelligent, traceable, and feedback-enabled medical systems, advancing the vision of personalized, closed-loop interventional healthcare.