WINNER & PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
Students: Isabella Federico
Project: Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube (SWCNT) Impact on Beta-Tubulin III and Actin Protein Expression and Morphology During C17.2 Neural Stem Cell Differentiation
Major: Bioengineering, Materials Science & Engineering
Advisor: Sabrina Jedlicka
Abstract
Nanomaterial-based therapeutics offer a promising approach for treating neurodegenerative diseases that overcome challenges in drug delivery to the brain. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) possess potent effects at low concentrations on neural stem cell differentiation which could have future implications for nanoscale-based therapeutics. We aim to examine the influence of (GT)20 DNA-wrapped SWCNTs on neural differentiation via the underlying protein pathways behind nanomaterial-induced cell fate in C17.2 neural progenitor cells (NPCs). This study employs an analysis on actin and beta-tubulin cytoskeletal proteins as early and late markers for neurite outgrowth and structural support. SWCNT-exposed cell cultures were stained with actin and beta-tubulin antibodies after 0, 5, and 10 days of differentiation to visualize cell morphology via immunocytochemistry. Protein expression was quantified using bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay and verified using Western blots. An increase in beta-tubulin expression at days 5 and 10 was shown in both serum starvation and SWCNT samples with no expression at day 0 due to immature differentiation, but lower yield was found in SWCNT samples. SWCNT-treated cell morphology appeared to demonstrate acute actin filament reorganization from filamentous fibers to bundled structures throughout cell exteriors suggesting disruptions to early cell division. Therefore, SWCNT treatment may promote neural cell growth supplementation at late stage markers in differentiation. Future analysis will require assessing nanomaterial-protein interactions on broader neural protein pathways.
About Isabella Federico
Isabella Federico is an undergraduate senior majoring in Bioengineering in the biopharmaceuticals track at Lehigh University. As a Clare Boothe Luce (CBL) Research Scholar for the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, she has been conducting research under Professor Sabrina Jedlicka on the biointerfaces between nanomaterials and mammalian cell development, specifically on neural cell fate and function, for applications in cell-based therapeutics and drug delivery. Isabella has also conducted past research at Lehigh on osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation via biopolymer scaffolds functionalized with gene editing technology to repair osteopathic tissue damage. Following graduation, she wants to pursue a career in gene and cell therapy development and manufacturing. Beyond her research, she enjoys outdoor recreation, music, reading science fiction, and traveling.