Observation and manipulation of the sprouting of hair cell stereocilia.
Abstract
With this project we plan to observe, describe and interfere with the process of hair cell stereocilia appearance and elongation. Despite their generation has been described in terms of fixed time point snapshots, bright field and phase contrast microscopy videos will be used to fill gaps of information between time points. The videos that will be realized are now possible thanks to the availability of stem cell lines that can be induced to differentiate in vitro in the cell type under observation.Also a new set of optical techniques, called "quantitative phase microscopy", which allow the extraction of both qualitative and quantitative information, will be used to correlate the appearance of structures with their volumes. Additionally, some experiments will be performed with microfluidic chips, to test if the direction of the flow of the stimuli of differentiation and the force it exerts play any role on the differentiation itself and the local tissue polarity. All these experiments will add to the basic knowledge of the development of the inner ear and will also contribute to the emerging field of hair cell replacement.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 06, 2017
- Source ID
- FA95501710004
Entities
People
- Valeria Piazza
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Centro de Investigaciones en Optica
- United States Air Force