The Application of Magnetic Nanoparticles (MNPs) to Neural Stem Cell (NSC) Transplantation Therapy
PhD Supervisor(s): Dr Divya Chari, Dr Paul Horrocks
Contact Email: c.adams@keele.ac.uk
Undergraduate Degree: Biochemistry (University of Bristol)
PhD Summary
There is substantial research on the benefits of using neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation for ‘combinatorial therapies’ (concomitant delivery of therapeutic biomolecules and cell replacement) to promote regeneration in the CNS after injury/disease. Application of magnetic nanoparticles to augment NSC therapeutic potential could address some key barriers to translation by allowing (1) safe genetic engineering of NSCs in order that they can deliver biomolecules to sites of injury/disease (2) non-invasive imaging of the transplant population by MRI to allow real time cell tracking and (3) safe delivery of the cell transplant population through magnetic cell targeting, especially important in the CNS, to avoid secondary injury.
My PhD aims to study the application of MNPs in NSCs grown as either adherent monolayers or in suspension as neurospheres. I want to develop technically simple protocols to safely and efficiently enhance transfection and labelling of NSCs using MNPs and explore the translational potential of the developed protocols. Alongside I also aim to study the mechanisms of increased transfection/labelling when using magnetic fields to aid transfection by investigating particle:cell interactions and endocytotic activity using electron microscopy. Finally, I would like to examine novel methods to study transfection success and safety with a one-step procedure. Using proteomics I hope to both measure level of transfected protein and assess overall protein expression to observe whether this is affected when using MNPs to manipulate NSCs.
Skills & Techniques
