CAREER: Understanding the Molecular Mechanics of Growth Cone Motility and Nerve Regeneration

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9733156 Schmidt The overall goal of this career program is to build a nationally competitive program at the University of Texas- Austin that integrates research and education in the field of molecular and cellular tissue engineering, with a particular focus on the nervous system. The research part of this program seeks to link quantitative molecular information on the migration of the neuronal growth cone, which guides axonal extension, to phenomenological observations of nerve regeneration. An electrically conducting polymer, oxidized polypyrrole (PP), will be used as a model system with which to stimulate axonal extension. This material also has clear potential applications as a component of devices to locally stimulate nerve regeneration. To gain a fundamental understanding of how nerve regeneration is affected by an electrical stimulus, it is to be determined whether electrical conduction through PP directly modifies various intracellular events which are critical for growth cone motility. These experiments are to be related to in vivo studies assessing rat sciatic nerve regeneration under similar conditions. The education part of this program includes: course development; curriculum revision; mentorship; and outreach programs. ***