Meredith BeckenhauptBiomedical Engineering, Junior

Cameron IngramBiomedical Engineering,

Sophomore

Project 1: Self-Assembling Peptide

Nanoscaffold for MMP Delivery and Cardiac Regeneration in the

Diabetic Heart

Dr. Daria NarmonevaBiomedical Engineering, FM

Jennifer HurleyBiomedical Engineering, GRA

Background Information

• Diabetic cardiomyopathy– Circulatory defects– Impaired heart muscle contraction– Cardiac fibrosis

• Cardiac Fibrosis– Too much collagen, not enough matrix

matalloproteinase (MMP)• Possible Treatment Explored: MMP delivery

using nanoscaffold

Goals & Objectives

• Demonstrate that increased MMP-2 concentration will enhance remodeling of cardiac tissue, in vitro– Cell culture techniques– Methods of quantitative analysis on cell culture,

such as ELISA, zymography, histochemistry, and rheometry

– Methods of statistical analysis

Research Tasks• Culture cells for certain lengths of time using

nanoscaffold, MMP and nanoscaffold, and matrigel• Perform testing in order to analyze effectiveness of

MMP and nanoscaffold– Protein isolation and ELISA testing– Histological sample preparation and study– Live/Dead preparation and study– Zymography preparation and testing– Rheological preparation and testing

• Paper writing, abstract and manuscript preparation

Current Accomplishments

• Most samples already prepared for protein isolation, and then ELIZA testing

• Isolating proteins from samples of media– Days 1, 6, 14– Nanoscaffold, MMP & nanoscaffold, matrigel (control)

• Started making histology samples and performing microscopy analysis

• Started live/dead counting for samples at days 1, 6, 14

Resources• Narmoneva, D. A., PhD, Vukmirovic, R., MS, Davis, M. E., PhD, Kamm, R. D., PhD,

& Lee, R. T., MD. (2004). Endothelial cells promote cardiac myocyte survival and spatial reorganization. Circulation, 2004(110), 962-968.

• Segers, V. F.M., & Lee, R. T. (2007). Local delivery of proteins and the use of self-assembling peptides. Drug Discovery Today, 12(13/14), 561-568

• Linthout, S. v., Seeland, U., Riad, A., Eckhardt, O., & Hohl, M. (2008). Reduced mmp-2 activity contributes to cardiac fibrosis in experimental diabetic cardiomyopathy. Basic Reseach in Cardiology, 2008(103), 319-327.

• Hurley, J. R., Balaji, S., & Narmoneva, D. A. (2010). Complex temporal regulation of capillary morphogenesis by fibroblasts. American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology, 2010(299), 444-453.

• Hurley, J. R., & Narmoneva, D. A. (2010, April). Project 1: self-assembling peptide nanoscaffold for mmp delivery and cardiac regeneration in the diabetic heart. Retrieved from http://www.eng.uc.edu/reu/academic/2010-2011/pages/projects/project1.html