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NEUROENGINEERING AND REGENERATION

Our research aims to unveil the basic mechanisms underlying neuronal development and growth. We leverage this knowledge to obtain methods for promoting neuronal regeneration, and for targeted drug delivery. We design 2D and 3D nano-engineered platforms to manipulate cells on-chip and in-vivo.
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NEURO-ENGINEERING RESEARCH

Our research aims to unveil the basic mechanisms underlying neuronal development and leverages this knowledge towards obtaining improved methods for manipulating and promoting neuronal regeneration. Neurons develop into a wide-variety of shapes with important implications for neuronal function and connectivity. Following nerve injuries, the process of spontaneous nerve regeneration is incomplete. Our approach is multidisciplinary and merges engineering, biology and material sciences, at the micro and nano scale. We analyze neuronal responses by implementing morphometric measurements, electrophysiological protocols, simulations and bioinformatics. Moreover, in order to target the nervous system and key injured, diseased tissue, we develop drug-delivery technologies, i.e. novel carriers and biolistic setups.

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Our focus.

Large-Scale Acoustic-Driven Neuronal Patterning and Directed Outgrowth

Acoustic manipulation is an emerging non-invasive method enabling precise spatial control of cells in their native environment. Applying this method for organizing neurons is invaluable for neural tissue engineering applications. Here, we used surface and bulk standing acoustic waves for large-scale patterning of Dorsal Root Ganglia neurons and PC12 cells forming neuronal cluster networks, organized biomimetically. We showed that by changing parameters such as voltage intensity or cell concentration we were able to affect cluster properties. We examined the effects of acoustic arrangement on cells atop 3D hydrogels for up to 6 days and showed that assembled cells spontaneously grew branches in a directed manner towards adjacent clusters, infiltrating the matrix. These findings have great relevance for tissue engineering applications as well as for mimicking architectures and properties of native tissues

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Our team.

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Orit Shefi, PhD

Principal Investigator

Ganit Indech

PhD student

Michal Natan

Lab Manager

Sharon Cohen

Postdoc

Gaddi Blumrosen

Research Associate

Alon Richter-Levin

PhD student

Elina Haimov

Postdoc

Eli Varon

PhD student

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PROF. ORIT SHEFI

Orit Shefi is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at Bar-Ilan University. She is the head of the Neuro-engineering and Regeneration laboratory and a member of the Bar Ilan Institute of Nanotechnologies and Advanced Materials. In 2005, she earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Physics at Tel-Aviv University. From 2005-2008, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego. Her research focuses on nanotechnologies for neuronal engineering, 3D platforms for directed neuronal regeneration, magnetic manipulations of cells, and drug delivery tools.

PROF. ORIT SHEFI
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OUR RESEARCH

NEURO-ENGINEERING RESEARCH

Our research aims to unveil the basic mechanisms underlying neuronal development and leverages this knowledge towards obtaining improved methods for manipulating and promoting neuronal regeneration. Neurons develop into a wide-variety of shapes with important implications for neuronal function and connectivity. Following nerve injuries, the process of spontaneous nerve regeneration is incomplete. Our approach is multidisciplinary and merges engineering, biology and material sciences, at the micro and nano scale. We analyze neuronal responses by implementing morphometric measurements, electrophysiological protocols, simulations and bioinformatics. Moreover, in order to target the nervous system and key injured, diseased tissue, we develop drug-delivery technologies, i.e. novel carriers and biolistic setups.

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CONTROLLED DRUG DELIVERY AND BIOLISTIC TARGETING
The ability to deliver active reagents in a controlled manner is an important therapeutic challenge. We develop unique bolistic delivery systems which enable us to introduce micro and nano carriers, loaded with cargo, into…
NEURONAL ACTIVITY AND MORPHOLOGY – SIMULATION WORK
We also focus on theoretical work and modeling in some of our projects. We investigate the connection between the neuronal tree structure and electrical activity by studying signal propagation and information coding along two…
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About us

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Where to find us

42 Boulevard, California, number 23

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Prof. Orit Shefi

Faculty of Engineering, Bar-Ilan University

Get In Touch

Tel: Office: 03-5317079, Lab: 03-5384646, Student Room: 03-5317123

Where to find us

Building 1105, Room 469 Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel

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