Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons^™

Injectable Decellularized Nucleus Pulposus Tissue Exhibits Neuroinhibitory Properties, Logan M. Piening, David J. Lillyman, Fei San Lee, Alvaro Moreno Lozano, Jeremy R. Miles, Rebecca A. Wachs

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Background: Chronic low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability, but treatments for LBP are limited. Degeneration of the intervertebral disc due to loss of neuroinhibitory sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAGs) allows nerves from dorsal root ganglia to grow into the core of the disc. Treatment with a decellularized tissue hydrogel that contains sGAGs may inhibit nerve growth and prevent discassociated LBP.

Methods: A protocol to decellularize porcine nucleus pulposus (NP) was adapted from previous methods. DNA, sGAG, α-gal antigen, and collagen content were analyzed before and after decellularization. The decellularized tissue was then enzymatically modified to be …

Biomaterial Substrate Modifications That Influence Cell-Material Interactions To Prime Cellular Responses To Nonviral Gene Delivery, Amy Mantz, Angela K. Pannier

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Gene delivery is the transfer of exogenous genetic material into somatic cells to modify their gene expression, with applications including tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, sensors and diagnostics, and gene therapy. Viral vectors are considered the most effective system to deliver nucleic acids, yet safety concerns and many other disadvantages have resulted in investigations into an alternative option, i.e. nonviral gene delivery. Chemical nonviral gene delivery is typically accomplished by electrostatically complexing cationic lipids or polymers with negatively charged nucleic acids. Unfortunately, nonviral gene delivery suffers from low efficiency due to barriers that impede transfection success, including intracellular processes such as …

Micro- And Nanoparticulates For Dna Vaccine Delivery, Eric Farris, Deborah M. Brown, Amanda Ramer-Tait, Angela K. Pannier

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

DNA vaccination has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional protein-based vaccines for the induction of protective immune responses. DNA vaccines offer several advantages over traditional vaccines, including increased stability, rapid and inexpensive production, and flexibility to produce vaccines for a wide variety of infectious diseases. However, the immunogenicity of DNA vaccines delivered as naked plasmid DNA is often weak due to degradation of the DNA by nucleases and inefficient delivery to immune cells. Therefore, biomaterial-based delivery systems based on micro- and nanoparticles that encapsulate plasmid DNA represent the most promising strategy for DNA vaccine delivery. Microparticulate delivery systems allow …

Combined Qcm-D/Ge As A Tool To Characterize Stimuli-Responsive Swelling Of And Protein Adsorption On Polymer Brushes Grafted Onto 3d-Nanostructures, Meike Koenig, Tadas Kasputis, Daniel Schmidt, Keith B. Rodenhausen Jr., Klaus-Jochen Eichhorn, Angela K. Pannier, Mathias Schubert, Manfred Stamm, Petra Uhlmann

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

A combined setup of quartz crystal microbalance and generalized ellipsometry can be used to comprehensively investigate complex functional coatings comprising stimuli-responsive polymer brushes and 3D nanostructures in a dynamic, noninvasive in situ measurement. While the quartz crystal microbalance detects the overall change in areal mass, for instance, during a swelling or adsorption process, the generalized ellipsometry data can be evaluated in terms of a layered model to distinguish between processes occurring within the intercolumnar space or on top of the anisotropic nanocolumns. Silicon films with anisotropic nanocolumnar morphology were prepared by the glancing angle deposition technique and further functionalized by …