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Investigating new therapies for neurodisease

Demyelination, chief cause of the debilitating symptoms of multiple sclerosis, results from the loss of myelin, the protective coating that enables neurons, or nerve cells, to efficiently transmit electrical impulses from the brain to other parts of the body.

Sabrina Jedlicka, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, designs biologically functional materials that manipulate cellular response. She hopes to incorporate these materials into cell-based therapies and drug-delivery devices for central and peripheral nervous system applications.

Jedlicka joined the Lehigh faculty in 2008. She holds a both an MSE and Ph.D. from Purdue University, and a dual B.S. from Kansas State University in Chemical Science and Biological & Agricultural Engineering. She has performed research in a variety of areas, including veterinary diagnostics, biomaterials, bioremediation, and developmental physiology.

In one current project, Jedlicka plans to use biochemical signaling pathways to target diseased structures and deliver therapies that slow or reverse the loss of myelin.

“Demyelination is a complicated process, but the signaling pathways are well-studied,” says Jedlicka. “By examining the suspected pathways and rationally designing biofunctional materials into a drug-delivery platform, I hope to target the diseased sites in the body for therapeutic purposes.”

Jedlicka’s work on bio-inspired materials has been published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry and the Journal of Physical Chemistry. Her highly interdisciplinary doctoral research focused on the functional modulation of neuronal phenotype and neurotransmitter release via induction by rationally designed novel biomaterial peptide surfaces. Currently her materials are being applied to novel cell-silicon therapies for epilepsy.

“I’m trying to bridge the gap between science and engineering to develop therapies for MS and other neurological diseases,” she says. “These therapies will include long-term implantable devices and targeted drug delivery. Advanced treatments and more effective ways of delivering these treatments will improve the quality of life for patients dealing with a degenerative disease.”


To learn more about this project and other aspects of bioengineering research at Lehigh, check out Resolve® magazine (volume IV) – a publication devoted to Lehigh engineering research and educational innovation, highlighting exciting partnerships, projects and academic programs within and around Lehigh's engineering community.