Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant socioeconomic problem as 5.3 million people in the United States are currently living with TBI related disabilities and TBI results in 50,000 deaths and 80,000 disabilities each year. The inherent regenerative capability of the adult central nervous system is limited. Therefore, therapeutic strategies aiming to enhance and restore regenerative potential are promising treatment modalities. This project aims to address potential limitations observed in neural transplantation by developing a minimally invasive delivery system that in turn forms a 3-D structure in situ to support enhanced survival, differentiation, and integration of transplanted cells within an injured environment. ? ?
| Stabenfeldt, Sarah E; LaPlaca, Michelle C (2011) Variations in rigidity and ligand density influence neuronal response in methylcellulose-laminin hydrogels. Acta Biomater 7:4102-8 |
| Stabenfeldt, Sarah E; Munglani, Gautam; Garcia, Andres J et al. (2010) Biomimetic microenvironment modulates neural stem cell survival, migration, and differentiation. Tissue Eng Part A 16:3747-58 |
