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Gillette, Martha U. Gillette, Martha U. Li, Xiuling Bashir, Rashid Kong, Hyunjoon Cangellaris, Olivia Vassiliki 2019-02-08T18:43:49Z 2019-02-08T18:43:49Z 2021-02-09T10:15:41Z 2018-12-04 2018-12 Neural circuits are fundamental components that regulate critical autonomic functions throughout the human body. Disruption of neural circuits, through neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis, as well as sensory neuropathies, and traumatic injuries can be incredibly debilitating. Neurological deficits have been identified as the leading cause contributing to disability adjusted life years in the United States, meaning they lead to more years of healthy life lost to disease state, leading cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Neural circuits cannot repair themselves in the same way a superficial cut, or even injury to the liver can be repaired. The inability of neural circuits to recover from injury results from a combination of the loss of essential cues that disappear post-developmentally, and complications from inflammatory response and glial scarring. Engineered therapies for neural regeneration are a burgeoning area of interest, with many techniques being explored to improve existing scaffolds for neural repair (e.g. nerve guide conduits), and develop new methods to manipulate and enhance neurite growth. This dissertation reports the use of self-rolled-up silicon nitride (SiNx) membranes to culture neurons for future applications for neuroregenerative repair. Through initial characterization of neurite growth on the microtube platform, we demonstrate enhanced alignment of neurites along the microtube topography. Following modification of microtube geometry, we found that adjustment to microtube array pitch improves neurite alignment compared to a static pitch, and increased microtube length also confers greater instances of neurite alignment. Initial experiments adding electrical stimulation to the platform reveal increased neurite growth rate and length, and increased neurite organization along the direction of the electric field. The work presented in this dissertation lays the foundation for further adaptation of the SiNx microtubes for applications for neuroregenerative therapies. Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2020-12-01 The student, Olivia Cangellaris, accepted the attached license on 2018-12-03 at 18:27. The student, Olivia Cangellaris, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2018-12-03 at 18:59. This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2018-12-04 at 16:35. DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #13185 on 2019-02-08 at 11:40:52 Made available in DSpace on 2019-02-08T18:43:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 5 CANGELLARIS-DISSERTATION-2018.pdf: 73197784 bytes, checksum: a77303b5c05f442094912fbe04196bdc (MD5) LICENSE.txt: 4215 bytes, checksum: 6fb0b0fcc3b316a9d1df90a7f173ce31 (MD5) RightsLink Printable License_Barry et al.pdf: 139022 bytes, checksum: 406b872451a2e54b9025e039a31be6f3 (MD5) RightsLink Printable License_Rakic.pdf: 129198 bytes, checksum: cc3ae068ad4e1cec8d423c097d193253 (MD5) RightsLink Printable License_Wang et al.pdf: 138889 bytes, checksum: 49eaeb5fc38439d0f65907d73c23f81a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-12-04 Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 109960 Lift date: 2021-02-08T18:43:54Z Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 109960 Lift date: 2021-02-08T18:44:50Z Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system Limited Restriction Lifted for Item 109960 on 2021-02-09T10:15:41Z. application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/2142/102933 en Copyright 2018 Olivia Vassiliki Cangellaris. All rights reserved. neurons neuronal alignment microtubes silicon nitride nanomembranes self-rolled-up membranes (S-RUMs) neural scaffold topographical cues electrical stimulation electric field Application of self-rolled-up membrane technology for enhanced neuron guidance and alignment text text Bioengineering Bioengineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Dissertation Ph.D.