SUMMER RESEARCH TRAINING IN MEMBRANE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 2008 NSF REU SITE PROGRAM at the UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
The Department of Biomedical Engineering, Colleges of Engineering & Medicine is pleased to offer this research project as part of the 2008 summer NSF-REU Site Program through the Department of Pharmacology & Cell Biophysics.  Students interested in this project are urged to contact Professor Narmoneva to discover more about the project, learn what your responsibilities will be during the ten-week research training program.
Project #:  08 - 016 Faculty Supervisor/Mentor: Daria A. Narmoneva, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Biomedical Engineering Colleges of Engineering & Medicine Email:  daria.narmoneva@uc.edu
Peptide Nano-Scaffold to Mediate Cell-Cell Signaling During Capillary Assembly
General background and significance of the project: A critical issue in engineering or regenerating tissues and organs is to create an adequate blood supply to maintain live cells and promote tissue growth. However, attempts to recreate a native-like capillary network in engineered tissues have been largely unsuccessful, mostly due to incomplete understanding of the mechanisms governing capillary growth and the complexity of cell-cell and cell-matrix signaling. Extracellular matrix plays an important role in the process of capillary assembly by providing mechanical support to the cells, releasing matrix-bound growth factors and transmitting cell-cell signals that regulate cell migration and network formation. The goal of this project is to elucidate the role of matrix stiffness on the capillary-like network assembly and formation of intercellular gap junctions, using a novel in vitro model of angiogenesis – a peptide nano-scaffold. This model provides a unique ability to experimentally control the mechanical environment of the cells while limiting scaffold-specific signaling that may affect cell behavior.
Brief description of proposed research and activities for the 10-week REU period: The REU student will create three-dimensional constructs consisting of endothelial cells embedded in the peptide scaffold. Scaffold mechanical properties will be modified by variation in the peptide concentration and measured using rheometry. The REU student will culture the constructs for up to 1 week, followed by embedding in paraffin or DNA extraction.
What the REU Student can gain from participating in this project: The REU student will quantify the effects of changes in scaffold properties on assembly of capillary-like networks, formation of gap junctions (connexin 43) using immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin sections. In addition, The REU student will assess cell proliferation by determination of the total DNA of each sample, and quantify cell apoptosis using TUNEL assay.  Significant contributions made by the REU student will earn co-authorship on presentations and publications arising from this collaborative international project.