MISSION & GOALS
Mission & Goals The regeneration and repair laboratory’s main goal is to develop novel biomaterial constructs to assist those individuals who have sustained neural injury, have a degenerative neural condition, or who have osteoarthritic cartilage. We are also developing a biomaterial coating to facilitate neuronal adhesion onto probes or sensors implanted into the central nervous system. We are currently developing three different types of biomaterials: Soft Natural Hydrogels: We have developed a hydrogel system composed of agarose and methylcellulose. By blending these two natural hydrogel systems, we have developed a biomaterial that exists in the liquid state at room temperature then solidifies when introduced to physiological temperatures. These hydrogel systems solidify naturally and do not require crosslinking chemicals which may harm native tissue. This hydrogel is being developed to slowly release therapeutic agents for neural and cartilage repair. Electrospun Fibrous Scaffolds: We have developed an electrospinning apparatus that creates highly aligned polymeric fibers made from poly-L-lactic acid. These aligned fibers have shown promise in directing neuronal outgrowth. Currently, we are developing three-dimensional conduits that neurons could use to bridge gaps in the damaged spinal cord and peripheral nervous system. Silica Based Sol-Gel Glasses: We have developed a silica sol-gel matrix doped with chitosan and agarose. Neuronal outgrowth on this material is much more pronounced than neuronal outgrowth on plain silica sol-gels. These systems are being formulated to include therapeutic agents that are slowly released over time to use as coatings for probes or sensors implanted into the central nervous system. |
