Researchers to develop novel biomaterial to improve stroke recovery
James Connor, vice chair for research and professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Penn State College of Medicine, is part of a multi-institution effort to develop new granular biomaterials that could improve stroke recovery. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is funding the five-year, $2.29 million project.
Hundreds of thousands of people each year live with the long-term effects of strokes – including partial paralysis, cognitive difficulties and persistent pain. To improve outcomes for patients, Connor and his collaborator Amir Sheikhi, assistant professor of chemical engineering and biomedical engineering at Penn State College of Engineering, hope to develop a new biomaterial that targets post-stroke immune response. The goal is that the biomaterial will promote new blood vessel and axon (the part of the neuron that carries nerve impulses away from the cell’s processing center) formation at the site of the stroke.
Read more about the project on Penn State News
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