Bar-Ilan Institute of Nanotechnologies and Advanced Materials

3 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Biology

Localized RNAi and Ectopic Gene Expression in the Medicinal Leech

Orit Shefi¹, Claire Simonnet², Alex Groisman², Eduardo R Macagno¹

¹Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego - UCSD, ²Department of Physics, University of California San Diego - UCSD

In this video, we show a procedure for an accurate biolistic delivery of reagents into live tissue with a novel miniature gene gun. We are knocking down the expression of the axon guidance molecule Netrin in leech embryos by delivering molecules of dsRNA into the ventral body wall and ganglia of single segments.

Bioengineering

Designing Porous Silicon Films as Carriers of Nerve Growth Factor

Michal Rosenberg¹, Neta Zilony^2,3, Orit Shefi^2,3, Ester Segal^1,4

¹Department of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, ²Faculty of Engineering, Bar-Ilan University, ³Bar-Ilan Institute of Nanotechnologies and Advanced Materials, ⁴Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

Here, we present a protocol to design and fabricate nanostructured porous silicon (PSi) films as degradable carriers for the nerve growth factor (NGF). Neuronal differentiation and outgrowth of PC12 cells and mice dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons are characterized upon treatment with the NGF-loaded PSi carriers.

Bioengineering

Fabrication of Magnetic Platforms for Micron-Scale Organization of Interconnected Neurons

Ganit Indech^1,4, Reut Plen^2,4, Dafna Levenberg^2,4, Naor Vardi^1,4, Michal Marcus^2,4, Alejandra Smith^2,4, Shlomo Margel^3,4, Orit Shefi^2,4, Amos Sharoni^1,4

¹Department of Physics, Bar-Ilan University, ²Faculty of Engineering, Bar-Ilan University, ³Department of chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, ⁴The Institutes of Nanotechnology & Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University

This work presents a bottom-up approach to the engineering of local magnetic forces for control of neuronal organization. Neuron-like cells loaded with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are plated atop and controlled by a micro-patterned platform with perpendicular magnetization. Also described are magnetic characterization, MNP cellular uptake, cell viability, and statistical analysis.