Nanotubes and Neuronal Growth
Mood:  d'oh
Lots of programs are finding ways they might integrate nanotechnology into their studies, like semiconductors, computers, and biochemistry. The feature this week has taken a different spin on nanotechnology than normal; as a substrate for neuronal growth. Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) functionalized to polyethyleneimine (PEI) were the subject of study. The goal of this study was to see if they could be effective substrates as the multiwalled nanotubes(MWNTs) had shown to be. They found that the SWNT-PEI copolymer had more branching than the MWNTs, growth cones were similar to PEI alone and the MWNTs, and the neurite lengths were intermediate to PEI and the MWNTs. Interesting to both the chemist and microbiologist!

Here's some figures included:

Scheme 1: Drawing Summarizing the Effects of SWNT-PEI on Neurite outgrowth and branching


Quantitive data comparing neuronal growth





Citations:

Hui Hu. Polyethyleneimine Functionalized Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes as a Substrate for Neuronal Growth.http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/jpcbfk/2005/109/i10/html/jp0441137.html