Emerging technologies in bioengineering and neuroscience have demonstrated that using environmental clues surface patterned functional neuronal networks can be engineered. In the framework of this Mentored Career Development Award the candidate will learn these enabling technologies and use this knowledge to create a high-throughput functional method to screen drugs based on excitatory synaptic transmission in oriented rat embryonic hippocampal cultures. Furthermore, the candidate would like to use this award to learn grant writing, project planning and management and collect preliminary data to start his independent scientific career. The selected mentor, the founder of the Hybrid Neuronal Systems Laboratory at Clemson University, is a world-renowned expert in surface chemistry, a pioneer in the field of patterning cells, creating neuron/silicon hybrid systems and has a vast amount of experience in training students and in creating well-funded innovative scientific projects. With his guidance and based on his expertise the candidate will create surface patterns using functionalized self-assembled monolayers to control and guide the self-organizing program in neurons, in order to form functional engineered networks, which mimic existing pathways in the nervous system. Surface patterns will be registered with surface-embedded electrodes allowing high-throughput extracellular recording of synaptic transmission. Modulators of excitatory synaptic transmission will be screened on this model. This high-throughput method would bridge a gap between fast and cheap single-cell assays and slow and expensive tissue/organism level assays and could have a high impact on the identification of novel mechanisms of drug actions or drug candidates in critical areas of biomedical sciences such as neurodegeneration, epilepsy, antidepressants, cognitive enhancers and Alzheimer disease.
| Molnar, Peter; Kang, Jung-Fong; Bhargava, Neelima et al. (2014) Synaptic connectivity in engineered neuronal networks. Methods Mol Biol 1183:243-52 |
| Molnar, Peter; Hickman, James J (2014) Modeling of action potential generation in NG108-15 cells. Methods Mol Biol 1183:253-61 |
| Natarajan, Anupama; Stancescu, Maria; Dhir, Vipra et al. (2011) Patterned cardiomyocytes on microelectrode arrays as a functional, high information content drug screening platform. Biomaterials 32:4267-74 |
| Dhir, Vipra; Natarajan, Anupama; Stancescu, Maria et al. (2009) Patterning of diverse mammalian cell types in serum free medium with photoablation. Biotechnol Prog 25:594-603 |
| Akanda, Nesar; Molnar, Peter; Stancescu, Maria et al. (2009) Analysis of toxin-induced changes in action potential shape for drug development. J Biomol Screen 14:1228-35 |
| Natarajan, Anupama; Chun, Changju; Hickman, James J et al. (2008) Growth and electrophysiological properties of rat embryonic cardiomyocytes on hydroxyl- and carboxyl-modified surfaces. J Biomater Sci Polym Ed 19:1319-31 |
| Molnar, Peter; Hickman, James J (2007) Modeling of action potential generation in NG108-15 cells. Methods Mol Biol 403:175-84 |
| Molnar, Peter; Kang, Jung-Fong; Bhargava, Neelima et al. (2007) Synaptic connectivity in engineered neuronal networks. Methods Mol Biol 403:165-73 |
| Molnar, Peter; Wang, Weishi; Natarajan, Anupama et al. (2007) Photolithographic patterning of C2C12 myotubes using vitronectin as growth substrate in serum-free medium. Biotechnol Prog 23:265-8 |
| Wilson, Kerry; Molnar, Peter; Hickman, James (2007) Integration of functional myotubes with a Bio-MEMS device for non-invasive interrogation. Lab Chip 7:920-2 |
