Matthew Simkulet Awarded NIH T32 Grant
With funding from the NIH’s T32 Program, Matthew Simkulet will continue his work with Assistant Professor Tim O’Shea studying neurological responses to implanted devices. Matthew will investigate microprisms implanted in mouse cortexes using two-photon microscopy in order to examine the brain’s natural wound response to implanted devices. Matthew hopes specifically to look into the fundamental dynamics of how astrocytes in the brain respond to any type of device that is inserted in the brain. 
Matthew’s research aims to establish a baseline understanding of how implants affect the brain on a cellular level. In the long term, such an understanding would lay the foundation for therapeutic intervention, such as biomaterial coatings or controlled drug release. These therapeutic interventions have the potential to attenuate the issues of chronic neural implants.
To view Matthew’s profile on the NPC Fellows page, click here.