GCSP research stipend | Spring 2021

Size-Tunable Polymeric Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery after Traumatic Brain Injury

Five million people in the United States live with disabilities caused by traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI can break down the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the membrane that regulates what enters the brain. While BBB breakdown is problematic, it provides a unique opportunity to use nanoparticles for drug delivery to the injured brain. This research aims to develop a targeting nanoparticle for TBI that is large enough so the body does not filter it and small enough for both the immune system and the BBB to allow it to pass unhindered.