Restricted Research - Award List, Note/Discussion Page
Fiscal Year: 2023
2313 The University of Texas at San Antonio (144201)
Principal Investigator: Romero Uribe, Gabriela
Total Amount of Contract, Award, or Gift (Annual before 2011): $ 530,817
Exceeds $250,000 (Is it flagged?): Yes
Start and End Dates: 7/1/22 - 6/30/26
Restricted Research: YES
Academic Discipline: VPREDKE
Department, Center, School, or Institute: Brain Health Consortium
Title of Contract, Award, or Gift: WIRELESS MAGNETO-MECHANICAL CONTROL OF NEURAL ACTIVITY MEDIATED BY MAGNETIC NANODISCS
Name of Granting or Contracting Agency/Entity:
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) - NIH
CFDA: 0
Program Title: none
Note:
SAMs 1.1.1; The overall goal of this R56 research project, is to develop a scalable, transgene-free, minimally invasive, and cell-type-specific neurostimulation platform by transducing magnetic signals into a mechanical stimulus to precisely modulate the neuronal activity of specific cortical areas. We intend to employ magnetic nanostructures such as nanodiscs (MNDs), as they are better transducers of low-frequency low-amplitude AMFs into mechanical forces. We hypothesize that upon AMFs exposure, MNDs’ magneto-mechanical actuation on the cell membrane will enhance or inhibit specific cell membrane receptors, thus inducing neural depolarization. We will demonstrate our technology in vitro to enhance mechanosensitive ion channels expressed on the cell membrane of primary cortical neurons, and we will provide preliminary evidence in the translation of our nanotechnology for the in vivo neuromodulation of the auditory cortex.
Discussion: No discussion notes