Development of Nanoscale Neuromodulating Platforms

描述（由申请人提供）：视网膜退行性疾病如年龄相关性黄斑变性与视网膜的视杆和视锥光感受器的功能障碍和退化有关。 视杆和视锥近端视网膜神经元的突触后膜受体蛋白介导正常功能视网膜中多种类型化学突触处的视觉信号的传递，并且有理由相信，尽管疾病诱导的视杆和视锥视觉信号的丧失，但这些近端视网膜神经元在某些情况下仍保持功能。 该项目的长期目标是设计和构建纳米级分子结构，该结构可以选择性地附着到感光后视网膜神经元的特定膜受体的细胞外表面，并通过调节突触后受体对光的反应活性，恢复感光变性疾病损伤的视网膜中的视觉信号。 在这个应用程序中，我们提出了一个为期5年的项目，旨在实现这一具有挑战性的生物工程目标。 该研究将涉及采用分子生物学，有机合成和原型系统的生物物理/电生理分析的紧密结合的研究。 所提出的实验的一个主要焦点是GABAC受体，视网膜双极细胞的膜受体蛋白，其已知的特性使其非常适合作为模型系统。 领导这项研究的将是大卫R。Pepperberg博士，主要研究者（眼科和视觉科学，伊利诺伊大学芝加哥分校（UIC））;和共同研究者Karol S. Bruzik，PhD（药物化学和生药学，UIC），Tejal A. Desai博士（波士顿大学生物医学工程），Jack H. Kaplan博士（生物化学和分子遗传学，UIC），Brian K. Kay，PhD（生物科学部，阿贡国家实验室），Nalin M. Kumar，PhD（Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences，UIC），Guy C. Le布雷东博士（药理学，UIC），Jie Liang博士（生物工程，UIC），Haohua Qian博士（眼科和视觉科学，UIC），Sandra J. Rosenthal博士（化学，范德比尔特大学），和Robert F. Standaert，PhD（Chemistry，UIC）. Lay language总结：该项目的目标是开发可以恢复感光细胞退行性疾病（如年龄相关性黄斑变性）视力的分子结构。 这些结构将被设计成附着在患病视网膜的非感光细胞上，这些细胞保持功能，并使这些细胞对光有反应。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Retinal degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration are associated with dysfunction and deterioration of the rod and cone photoreceptors of the retina. Postsynaptic membrane receptor proteins of retinal neurons proximal to the rods and cones mediate the transmission of visual signals at multiple types of chemical synapses in the normally functioning retina, and there is reason to believe that these proximal retinal neurons in certain cases remain functional despite the disease-induced loss of rod and cone visual signaling. The long-term goal of the proposed project is to design and construct nanoscale molecular structures that can selectively attach to the extracellular face of specific membrane receptors of post-photoreceptor retinal neurons and, by modulating the postsynaptic receptor's activity in response to light, restore visual signaling in retina damaged by photoreceptor degenerative disease. In this application we propose a 5-year project aimed at this challenging bioengineering objective. The research will involve closely integrated studies employing molecular biology, organic synthesis, and biophysical/ electrophysiological analysis of prototype systems. A main focus of the proposed experiments is the GABAC receptor, a membrane receptor protein of retinal bipolar cells whose known properties make it well suited as a model system. Leading the research will be David R. Pepperberg, PhD, Principal Investigator (Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)); and Co-Investigators Karol S. Bruzik, PhD (Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, UIC), Tejal A. Desai, PhD (Biomedical Engineering, Boston Univ.), Jack H. Kaplan, PhD (Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, UIC), Brian K. Kay, PhD (Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory), Nalin M. Kumar, PhD (Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, UIC), Guy C. Le Breton, PhD (Pharmacology, UIC), Jie Liang, PhD (Bioengineering, UIC), Haohua Qian, PhD (Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, UIC), Sandra J. Rosenthal, PhD (Chemistry, Vanderbilt Univ.), and Robert F. Standaert, PhD (Chemistry, UIC). Lay language summary: The project's objective is to develop molecular structures that can restore vision in photoreceptor degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration. These structures will be designed to attach to non-photoreceptor cells of the diseased retina that remain functional and to make these cells responsive to light.