Dayna Yoshimura was born and raised on the island of Maui.  After graduating from Maui High School in 2014, she attended the University of Portland where she graduated in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. This fall, she will be continuing her education at the University of Portland in pursuit of a Masters of Biomedical Engineering degree.  Dayna is involved with the Biomedical Engineering Society Chapter at the University and enjoys reading and playing video games in her free time.

Home Island: Maui

Institution when accepted:University of Portland

Akamai Project: Phoenix: A Portable Incubator to Transport Live Cell Samples

Project Site: HNu Photonics Kahului, Maui

Mentors: Devin Ridgley, Sylvia Loh, Brittany Willbrand

Project Abstract:

State-of-the-art cell therapies are not available to individuals incapable of traveling to specific treatment centers, including warfighters and extremely ill patients. Cell therapy treatments require the use of sensitive cell lines, such as stem cells, that do not recover well from the cryopreservation process. SCORPIO-V has developed Phoenix, a compact, portable incubator to transport live cell culture samples to remote locations. Phoenix is required to be modular to ship via freight, thermally efficient to maintain cell viability, and power efficient to prolong battery life. In this study, the design and electronics of Phoenix were tested to observe proliferation of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and energy consumption over five days. Phoenix was validated to maintain cell culture for up to five days independently of a CO2 incubator. Following the incubation periods, proliferation rates were collected to compare the cell densities of culture flasks in the Phoenix and the standard CO2 incubator. It was determined that the cell proliferation rates in the Phoenix and standard CO2 incubator did not have significant differences when cells were incubated for up to five days, suggesting the cell cultures may survive without a consistent CO2 environment. One battery cycle lasted for 64 hours prior to power failure, which may be improved with the addition of insulation and power efficient components. Phoenix may be utilized by hospitals and researchers as long-distance transportation vehicle to deliver cell samples and extend accessibility of cell therapy to more patients.