Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · EngineeringKnecht Lab
Sean D Knecht · University Park, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Dr. Sean Knecht's lab at Penn State focuses on developing innovative treatment strategies for cardiovascular diseases, particularly those associated with bacterial infections like infective endocarditis. The research primarily involves the use of a unique physical-plasma catheter designed to combat stubborn bacterial biofilms, which often resist standard antibiotic treatments. By optimizing this technology, the lab aims to improve patient outcomes and reduce the need for invasive surgeries.
cardiovascular treatmentinfective endocarditisbiofilmsphysical-plasmaStaphylococcus aureusantibiotic resistancemedical devicesbacterial infectionscatheter technologybiomedical engineering
Research Aims
3AIM 01Develop a micro-electrode physical-plasma array integrated into a catheter for effective deployment in cardiovascular interventions.
AIM 02Test the efficacy of physical plasma against bacterial biofilms in flow conditions to assess infection control capabilities.
AIM 03Evaluate the safety and efficacy of the physical-plasma catheter in a rabbit model of infective endocarditis.
Skills the Lab Values
micro-electrode fabricationcatheter designbiofilm analysisanimal model experimentationantibiotic efficacy testingplasma generation techniquesin vivo imagingflow cytometrymicroscopydata analysis
Output against the department
Publications49bottom 7% of dept.259th of 278
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations615bottom 4% of dept.266th of 278
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.