Achievement

In the lab of Professor Tracy Cui at the University of Pittsburgh, Biomedical Engineering students develop technologies for interfacing with neural tissue. IGERT funding has allowed several of these students to broaden their training to include work in computational modeling or physiological experiments. A recent example is Cassandra Weaver, who is researching techniques to manipulate the development of neural stem cells (NSCs) using a combination of electrical stimulation and controlled release of neurotransmitters such as GABA, glutamate, and dopamine. The goal is to guide NSCs to integrate into and repair damaged neural circuits. Weaver's work involves a combination of high tech tools such as carbon nanotube doped conducting polymer films for transmitter release, and multielectrode grids for recording cell activity. She recently developed a new technique for disrupting cells on a grid which provides an in vitro simulation of neuronal damage while still permitting recording.