Stereolithography of Multi-Lumen, Multi-Material Bioactive Nerve Guidance Conduits

0730750 Wicker该项目的主要目标是使用立体光刻（SL）制造独特的神经导管（NGC），用于修复周围神经损伤。具体来说，研究人员将开发多腔导管从光聚合聚乙二醇（PEG）水凝胶，充满了生长因子和几何形状，目前是从商业SL系统不可用。假设使用该技术产生的生物活性NGC将通过提供可用于支持细胞的更大表面积、用于轴突的额外通路以及通过生物活性剂和细胞的精确放置增加神经“通信”的潜力而对单腔和其他现有方法进行显著改进。该研究有四个具体目标：（1）在生物安全柜内安装SL单元并进行特定修改，以提高微制造能力，（2）合成和表征PEG支架，（3）制造生物活性支架并进行体外细胞活力评估，以及（4）使用大鼠模型检查PEG支架支持神经生成的能力。该项目有可能导致“量身定制”的神经引导通道，这将大大推进该领域的最新技术水平。教育和推广活动包括通过德克萨斯大学埃尔帕索分校（UTEP）和W.M.凯克中心

0730750WickerThe main goal of the project is to use sterolithography (SL) to manufacture unique nerve guide conduits (NGC) for repair of peripheral nerve damage. Specifically, the investigators will develop multi-lumen conduits from photopolymerizable poly ethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogels that are laden with growth factors and produced with geometry that is presently unavailable from commercial SL systems. It is hypothesized that the bioactive NGCs produced using this technology will be a significant improvement over single-lumen and other existing approaches by providing greater surface area available for supporting cells, additional pathways for axons and potential for increased nerve ''communication'' through precise placement of bioactive agents and cells. The research as four specific aims: (1) Install a SL unit within a biosafety cabinet and make specific modifications that will improve the micro-fabrication capabilities, (2) Synthsize and characterize the PEG scaffolds, (3) Fabricate bioactive scaffolds and conduct in vitro cell viability evaluations, and (4) Examine ability for PEG scaffolds to support nerve generation using a rat model. The project has the potential to lead to ''tailored'' nerve guidance channels that would advance the state of the art in this field significantly. The educational and outreach activities include support for underrepresented Hispanic students, through University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the W.M. Keck Center.