Biofidelic Three-Dimensional Brain Surrogate Models of mTBI-Induced Alzheimer's Disease Pathology
Abstract
The vast complexity of the brain, with its hundred billion neurons and supporting cells and hundreds of trillion connections poses a tremendous roadblock for scientists to understand the workings of the brain on the molecular, cellular or circuit levels. Defining the genetic programs that drive neural function, the cell-type specific contributions to neural circuit workings, the mapping of connectivity patterns within and between individual networks, and elucidating the mechanisms of disease present only a few examples of the challenges. Novel approaches and technologies are needed that complement and advance the state-of-the art in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro approaches to study brain physiology and diseases. Here, we are proposing to bioengineering a validated in vitro 3-dimensional (3D) brain surrogate mTBI/AD model built of primary neurons. Our research proposal builds upon the shock wave model of mTBI, which postulates that mTBI is caused by the primary shock wave from a blast that penetrates through the skull and traverses the brain. We will use this to elucidate the mechanisms leading to open field blast explosives induced mTBI and its relationship to Alzheimer's disease, including discovery by proteomic, genomic, and in vivo analysis of mice of new mTBI/AD biomarkers and disease pathways.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1045010
Entities
People
- Utkan Demirci
- Zezong Gu
Organizations
- Stanford University