Carbon Nanotubes Impregnated with Stem Cells to Return Motor Skills

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。“PI: Webster， thomas提案号：0730906由于现有的材料不够，需要新的材料来恢复残疾人的功能。纳米技术，广义上定义为使用至少一个维度小于100纳米的材料（即所谓的纳米材料），已经开始彻底改变科学和工程领域；但到目前为止，纳米材料的医疗应用还没有广泛受益。特别是，尽管前景光明，但一种特殊的纳米材料（碳纳米管）在治愈受损的神经组织和恢复残疾人的功能方面很有希望。碳纳米管与干细胞结合是一种有趣的纳米材料，可用于修复受损的神经组织，因为它们具有以下能力：(1)在植入受损的、不导电的大脑区域时导电；(2)模拟神经组织（如层粘连蛋白）中发现的关键蛋白质的纳米特征，以促进干细胞分化，增加神经元功能，减少胶质疤痕组织的形成；(3)将干细胞固定在大脑受损区域，以抑制干细胞从最需要它们的大脑部分迁移。该提案将研究碳纳米管递送、锚定和促进干细胞分化为神经元以愈合和重建受损神经组织的导电性的能力；恢复残疾人运动功能的关键标准。因此，本研究的具体目的是：(i)确定促进干细胞粘附和分化为神经元的碳纳米管化学功能化策略；（ii）进行体外分析，以确定促进干细胞分化为神经元，同时降低胶质疤痕组织细胞功能的最佳碳纳米管功能化策略；（iii）通过体外实验确定最佳碳纳米管功能化策略在建立的大鼠短暂性脑缺血模型中治愈中风诱导的神经组织损伤的能力。这项提议的智力价值在于，它将迈出大胆的一步，制定纳米技术衍生的材料，可以锚定和刺激干细胞分化成神经元，以治愈受损的神经组织，并恢复残疾人的功能。这项提议的广泛影响是，它将激励K-12、本科和研究生的少数民族学生学习如何使用纳米技术治疗各种疾病。这将通过将本提案中的本科生和研究生纳入：i)新授予的G， K ？布朗大学（Brown University）的12个站点（该站点将布朗大学的学生送入少数族裔普罗维登斯公立学校，以激励学习者学习科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM））；布朗大学的脑科学项目（有许多拓展活动）；（iii）由美国国家科学基金会资助的布朗大学MRSEC网站（通过REU网站整合了许多本科生）。该提案还通过与延世大学顾问的合作进行了强有力的国际合作，其中将交换众多学生和想法，以加强各自机构的纳米技术医学教育方面。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."PI: Webster, ThomasProposal Number: 0730906Novel materials are needed to restore functions to persons with disabilities since current materials have not sufficed. Nanotechnology, broadly defined as the use of materials with at least one dimension less than 100 nm (so called nanophase materials), have begun to revolutionize the fields of science and engineering; but as of yet, medical applications have not yet widely benefited from the use of nanomaterials. In particular, despite promise, one particular nanomaterial (carbon nanotubes) holds much promise to heal damaged neural tissue and restore functions to disabled persons. Carbon nanotubes coupled with stem cells are intriguing nanomaterials to heal damaged neural tissue due to their ability to: (i) conduct electricity when implanted into damaged, non-conductive, regions of the brain, (ii) mimic the nanometer features of key proteins found in neural tissue (such as laminin) to favor stem cell differentiation, increase neuron functions and decrease glial scar tissue formation, and (iii) anchor stem cells into damaged regions of the brain to inhibit stem cells from migrating away from the part of the brain in which they are needed most. This proposal will investigate the ability of carbon nanotubes to deliver, anchor, and promote stem cell differentiation into neurons to heal and reestablish electrical conductivity in damaged neural tissue; critical criteria to return motor functions to disabled persons. Thus, the specific aims of this study are to: (i) determine carbon nanotube chemical functionalization strategies that promote stem cell adhesion and differentiation into neurons, (ii) conduct in vitro analysis to determine the best carbon nanotube functionalization strategies that promote stem cell differentiation into neurons while at the same time decrease glial scar tissue cell function, and (iii) determine the ability of the best carbon nanotube functionalization strategies found through in vitro assays to heal stroke-induced neural tissue damage in a well-established rat transient cerebral ischemia model. This intellectual merit of this proposal is that it will take a bold step to formulate nanotechnology-derived materials that can anchor and stimulate stem cell differentiation into neurons to heal damaged neural tissue and restore function to disabled persons. The broad impacts of this proposal is that it will motivate K-12, undergraduate and graduate minority students to learn how nanotechnology is being used to treat various illnesses. This will be done by incorporating undergraduate and graduate students from this proposal into: i) a newly awarded G, K ? 12 site at Brown University (which places Brown students into minority Providence public schools to motive learners to study science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)); ii) the Brain Science Program at Brown (which has numerous outreach activities); and (iii) the NSF funded MRSEC site at Brown University (which incorporates numerous undergraduates through REU sites). This proposal also has a strong international collaboration through the cooperation of the consultant from Yonsei University in which numerous students and ideas will be exchanged to strengthen educational aspects of nanotechnology in medicine at respective institutions.