In vivo mechanical manipulation of spinal cord regeneration (B05)

• Subject Area: Biophysics
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 460333672

B05 will combine in vivo Brillouin microscopy and genetic manipulations to establish a link between mechanical tissue properties, the extracellular matrix as their determinant, and axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury in the zebrafish. In collaboration with X03, we aim to capitalise on these insights to engineer artificial biomaterials with biochemical and mechanical properties similar to the zebrafish spinal lesion environment, to test their axon growth-stimulating properties and evaluate their potential for regenerative medicine applications.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1540: Exploring Brain Mechanics (EBM): Understanding, engineering and exploiting mechanical properties and signals in central nervous system development, physiology and pathology
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Project Head: Dr. Daniel Wehner