Research


Biomaterials Engineering

Biomaterials engineering involves the design and application of materials for in vitro assays that closely mimic the behavior of cells in living tissues.  AlphaGenix is developing biomaterials including extracellular matrix proteins in novel cell culture systems and synthetic peptide nanofibers for these purposes.  It is investigating stem cells and genetically engineered cells and their interaction with these biomaterials, which has the ability to increase the efficacy of cell therapy.

Regenerative Medicine

Regenerative medicine or cell therapy has applications for many diseases such as cardiac disease, diabetes, neurological disorders, cancer, burns, and arthritis.  AlphaGenix is investigating the use of cell therapy for  the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI).  In a rat model of TBI, intracerebral stem cell placement after moderate TBI improves motor and cognitive function.  The placement and method of delivery are important factors in cell survival and may improve cell survival and cognitive recovery. 
 

Stem Cell Research

Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent and are capable of generating virtually any cell type in the body under the right conditions.  Tissue-specific stem cells can be isolated from many tissues, including brain and bone marrow, umbilical cord and in amniotic fluid.  AlphaGenix is developing induced pluripotent stem cells by introducing stem cell-associated genes into already-differentiated somatic cells, which reverts the cells back to a non-differentiated stem cell-state.