Professor Jenna Rickus Recipient of PRF Research Grant
Professor Jenna Rickus has been notified that she has been selected as the recipient of a Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) grant. The funding will support her research project entitled "Solid State Induction Surfaces for Maximizing Neurotransmitter Release in Hybrid Cellular Silicon Devices."
The research work will focus on the development of a biologically modified hybrid sol-gel thin film to control the release of GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, in order to possibly reduce or eliminate epileptic seizures.
Epilepsy is a family of seizure disorders that impacts 2.5 million Americans. Two major problems facing epilepsy patients are drug resistance and undesirable side effects. The proposed research hopes to result in the design of a new hybrid cellular-silicon neural implantable device to control the release of GABA under proper spatial and temporal control, thereby providing a significant advancement in the ability to stop seizures without side effects.