The use of Extracellular Matrix Coatings to Immunomodulate the FBR in Rat Brain

摘要

Our studies have shown that variable cell-sources create ECM rich in fibronectin and laminin, which contain important platelet adhesion motifs, and that conditioning with growth factors and mechanical stimuli can alter the relative concentration of these proteins within the matrix. Vascular damage following implant-induced injury contributes to the inflammatory burden by releasing soluble factors, cytokines and serum proteins associated with secondary neuronal cell death. By accelerating hemostasis we expect to see minimized blood product accumulation and down-regulated macrophage activation. Initial implant surgeries have proven the feasibility of our approach and on-going research is selecting sources of ECM that show enhanced hemostatic ability and immunomodulatory potential.