Achievement

Ellen Dengler is benefiting from collaboration between her neuroscience advisor and chemical engineering co-advisor that was initiated through the INCBN IGERT program. The protocells developed by the group of Jeff Brinker turned out to be well tolerated in the animals used in Erin Milligan’s lab. They showed no adverse behavioral effects from the intrathecal injections of protocells into the spinal cord. They had normal exploratory behavior, grooming, and weight gain. This is a great research achievement. Additionally, the knowledge Ellen gained by taking the course on “Nanomaterials for Biomedical Research” has helped her understand the principles behind the synthesis, characterization, and composition of the protocells and the potential bioconjugation or loading of the particles with cell targeting molecules. Essentially, the progress of her entire research project has been facilitated by her experience as an INCBN IGERT Trainee.