Home > Training > Undergraduate & Graduate Training Opportunities & Resources > Biomedical Engineering Summer Internship Program (BESIP) > Projects 2008

E-mail this page

BESIP Projects 2008

Developmental Neurobiology Section
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Group Leader/Mentor
Herbert M. Geller, Ph.D.

Contact Information
Email: geller@helix.nih.gov
Tel: (301) 451-9440
Fax: (301) 594-8133
Web site: http://dir.nhlbi.nih.gov/labs/ldn/index.asp

Laboratory and Project Description

Severe injuries to the mammalian spinal cord often result in permanent paralysis. This is due to the failure of injured neurons to regenerate and reinnervate their targets. Our laboratory is investigating the reasons for this failure of regeneration and devising mechanisms to overcome it.

We believe that the failure of regeneration is due to the presence in injury sites of molecules that inhibit neuronal growth. We have formulated a repair strategy based on building a bridge to allow neurons to cross the injured area and overcome the inhibition. Research in the laboratory is devoted to identifying the inhibitory molecules and how they work, and devising strategies to eliminate or overcome them, as well as investigating the use of biomaterials to create bridges that will permit neurons to grow through an injured area.

Summer interns can choose from the following projects:

1. Use a combination of molecular biology and computerized image analysis to demonstrate how structural components of living neurons are modified by inhibitory molecules and their intracellular signaling pathways
2. Investigate the use of modified surfaces for the selective growth of neurons and the restricted growth of cells that produce inhibitory molecules
3. Investigate the use of engineered nanoparticles for delivery of biologically active molecules in the nervous system:  This project is in collaboration with Dr. Julie Hasenwinkel of Syracuse University