Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Millions of individuals are affected by nerve damage to either their central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and eyes) or their peripheral nervous system.Endogenous positive and negative biochemical cues are expressed during trauma, working in conjunction with one another, regenerating tissue and protecting the body from further damage.However, because of the inherent nature of the nervous system, these mechanisms are typically skewed toward deleterious results and functional recovery is limited or unlikely to occur.Additionally, topographical features and electrical signals aid in nervous system patterning, and they could therefore be beneficial in axonal regeneration as well.The goal of this dissertation project is to develop initial axon guidance models to serve as a platform for neural regenerative strategies.The major component of this research is the development of an immobilization scheme where guidance proteins, notably nerve growth factor (NGF) and semaphorin3A (Sema3A), are synthesized and immobilized to a chitosan biomaterial film in order to evaluate axon and growth cone responses.Characteristic axon outgrowth responses were seen for single protein cues, attraction toward immobilized NGF sources and inhibition and axon turning away from immobilized Sema3A sources.These responses were not seen when proteins were adsorbed to the chitosan substrate.These axonal results showed the validity of the immobilization platform, which was further examined by tethering NGF and Sema3A in quote: "Those that can't do, teach."I was taken aback as I had never heard that saying before and completely disagreed as it was an insult to the field I was pursuing.That brief moment in time impacted me, and from that point forward I set myself on a path to prove that statement wrong.After teaching high school science for two years, I decided to take a risk and go to graduate school for engineering.It was a daunting task at the time, but I had a desire to learn and discover, testing my limits.I would like to thank the people who took a risk on a former high school teacher, thinking she had something to prove, and for seeing something in me that I possibly did not see at the time this journey began.First I would like to thank Dr. Daniel Sheffer who advised me on applying and getting into the graduate program here at The University of Akron.I would also like to thank Dr. John Elias for allowing me work in his laboratory and to be a part of a very interesting research project.And I thank Dr. Ge (Christie) Zhang for her council in life and work balance and for introducing me to my
Author: Aleesha M. McCormick
Institution: University of Akron
Language: English
Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: University of Akron
OpenAlex ID: W2734528272