A $395,722 federal grant will help biomedical engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville mimic the effects of physical trauma on brain cells.
Assistant professors Jeffrey Wolchok and Kartik Balachandran will lead a team using funds from the National Science Foundation to study the injured cells using a system known as a bioreactor, the university announced Friday.
"Similar in concept to the full-scale crash-test systems used by the automotive industry, the bench-top system will be used to apply impact conditions to populations of brain cells grown in the lab," Wolchok said in a statement.
There were 2.5 million traumatic brain injuries in the United States in 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
By collecting molecules released after the physical stimuli from the bench-top system, the UA researchers will explore the link between physical trauma and degenerative traits.
Funding will also help support a new biomedical engineering camp for high school students, according to the university.
NW News on 09/27/2014