# Nanoelectronics to study exosome circuitry and their role in neuroregeneration

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI · 2024 · $401,172

## Abstract

Project Summary
One of the important signaling networks in embryonic development, regeneration, and homeostasis of tissue is
the endogenous bioelectricity. It has been observed that electric fields can promote axonal regrowth in nerve
injury and bioelectric stimuli can be crucial to induce regeneration in peripheral and central nervous systems.
However, the transduction mechanisms that allow cells to convert bioelectric signals into gene regulatory
networks and transmit them to recipient cells via exocytosis pathways has not been fully understood. The
overarching goals of this MIRA application for the next five years will be to understand the effect of endogenous
electric fields on exocytosis pathway through the small extracellular vesicles (EVs); and to use this knowledge
in the future to establish a new EV-based therapeutic to restore function and repair of neurons in neurological
disorders and injuries. To address the knowledge gaps, we aim to first electrically stimulate Schwann cells (SCs),
the glial component of peripheral nervous system, by developing a biomimetic piezoelectric nanofiber networks
to mimic the endogenous bioelectric stimuli. The proposed bioactive piezoelectric nanofibers will be
advantageous over current technologies since they have high spatial resolution and high surface to volume ratio
that can promote cells attachment and alignment. Also, the piezoelectric properties of fibers allow cells to self-
induce electrical stimulation as a result of mechanobiology which can better mimic the endogenous
mechanotransduction feedback loop between cellular networks in a three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment.
We further plan to investigate the role of EVs secreted from electrically stimulated SCs, as cargos to transmit
the bioelectric signals by means of RNAs and proteins to neurons and to study their functional role in promoting
the axonal regeneration.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10889116
- **Project number:** 5R35GM150860-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
- **Principal Investigator:** Leyla Esfandiari
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $401,172
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-01 → 2028-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10889116

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10889116, Nanoelectronics to study exosome circuitry and their role in neuroregeneration (5R35GM150860-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10889116. Licensed CC0.

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