Neuroengineering
Neuroengineering refers to the scientific field that studies the application of engineering knowledge to create devices of use for interacting with neural tissue. We are fortunate to have fantastic collaborators in the Center for Bioengineering Research at UC Riverside.
Epilepsy, affecting about 1% of the population, comprises a group of disorders of the brain characterized by the periodic and unpredictable occurrence of seizures. It is clear that epilepsy is a major public health problem in that those affected experience the periodic and unpredictable occurrence of seizures leading to impairment of consciousness. This handicap severely impairs the performance of many tasks and secondarily the procurement and maintenance of steady employment. Elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of seizure generation may lead to novel antiepileptic drug (AED) therapies.
For therapeutic benefit in treatment of cerebral edema, the ideal medical device would have the capacity to remove water from brain tissue in a controlled fashion and the flexibility for deployment on the surface of the brain, without requiring penetration of brain tissue or doing any harm to the underlying brain. We are developing a surface-contact-based treatment for cerebral edema. Using the concept of the osmotic pressure gradient that is generated during a transport of concentrated rejected species (such as proteins or polymers) across a semi-permeable membrane, we have constructed a prototype hollow fiber-hydrogel osmotic transport device which has the capacity to extract water from brain tissue in a controlled fashion. A great deal more preclinical testing and validation studies remain to be done to move this and other devices toward the goal of ultimate clinical use.